Although the San Diego Chargers' season is over, they have a chance to play spoiler for the Oakland Raiders today and knock them out of the playoffs.

Norv Turner is coaching his last game for San Diego, unless something really strange happens, and many other players and coaches could be wearing the blue and gold for the last time. It will be very interesting to see if the Chargers players play hard for Turner in his last game or quit on him, and worry more about preserving their bodies.

Ryan Mathews, who was voted by the team as their Offensive Player of the Year, is a game-time decision to play. Travis LaBoy is going to miss the game, but everyone else should play and the normal starters should start.

The Bolts are playing for pride in this game, after losing their last three matchups to the the Raiders. A win today, while it would not help San Diego's draft position or schedule next season, would be a good step towards taking back control over this rivalry.

Today's Open Thread is brought to you by the spirit of hate (and Bud Light, I guess). As always these posts are intended entirely in good fun and if you happen to be offended you're probably an idiot.

Congratulations, Detroit Lions fans. I'm sure the entire 2008 Detroit Lions roster indulged in a little champagne last Sunday as the Indianapolis Colts' quest for the perfect 0-16 was foiled by a really lousy Tennessee Titans squad that clearly wanted the L more. Really, though, what can you say about the only franchise to ever field a team that could go winless over a 16 game season? That sort of thing is just incredible. Think about how hard it is to lose that many consecutive games. Truly a remarkable accomplishment. My hat's off to you, Orlovsky & co.

This is a different Detroit team we're looking at this week, though. They are an unremarkable 9-5, slightly above average team that features one of the dirtiest players in the NFL. I am, of course, referring to the monstrous Ndamukong Suh and he is, in fact, a monster*. The man named Suh is as much one of the premiere defensive players in The League as he is one of its premier assholes. Here's hoping he manages not to snap Philip Rivers over his knee after the whistle this afternoon.

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The San Diego Chargers and Baltimore Ravens meet tonight in front of a national audience with both teams in the midst of winning streaks.

San Diego is finally starting to get healthy, winning their last two games with impressive offensive displays. Their patchwork offensive line, including ex-Ravens Jared Gaither at LT, will be tested early and often by a talented Ravens' pass-rush and a Defensive Coordinator (Chuck Pagano) who likes to dial up complicated blitz schemes.

The Ravens have won four in a row without their star LB Ray Lewis, who will return for this game and assume his customary role as "On-field Coach". He'll be working hard to shut down Ryan Mathews, who has returned to his early-season form and will undoubtedly be looking to show off his progress to the world in primetime.

The Patriots, Lions and Eagles took care of the Broncos, Raiders and Jets earlier today. That means that a Chargers win tonight puts them just one game out of both the AFC West and AFC Wild Card races with two games left for everyone to play.

GO CHARGERS

So yes, this OT is up a little late. We've already completed the first quarter, and so far it's been all Chargers.

Philip Rivers completed all six of his passes in the opening drive, taking the ball 80 yards downfield and capping it off with a strike to a wide open Antonio Gates in the endzone. This marked the sixth consecutive game where the Chargers scored on their opening drive.

On Buffalo's first possession, Ryan Fitzpatrick throw a ball that doinked off the back of Na'il Diggs helmet. Eric Weddle ran into the ball and caught it. He got up and ran the ball back another 26 yards.

Right now, San Diego has the ball again on Buffalo's 2 yard line. Let's see Rivers can hook up again with Gates to put the Chargers in excellent position to win this game.

Kansas City already has lost against the Jets. Oakland is losing to the Packers 7-0, with Green Bay threatening again. And Denver and Chicago are all knotted-up at 0.

GO CHARGERS.

Since all of our good ideas here at BFTB come from Richard, I felt like it was in my best interest to listen to him this morning when he suggested that we get the staff to give their score predictions for tonight's game. As per usual, keep in mind that Wonko is smarter than all of us:

Richard Wade: 28-17, Jaguars

Orz: 17-16, Jaguars

jkvandal: 17-14, Chargers

Jeff (sliderockmpc): 20-16, Chargers

John Gennaro: 20-13, Jaguars

Zach (maestro876): 16-10, Jaguars

Superduperboltman: 23-16, Chargers

Steve Adler: 13-9, Jaguars

Wonko: 0-0, tie

creanium: 17-10, Jaguars

There were some comments and rationale thrown in with those picks as well, but most of the guys tried to be funny. They must have forgotten that I'm the only one allowed to be funny on the site.

Also, maybe disregard Jeff's pick. That dude is a total homer. He'd pick the Chargers to beat the Packers by four points, and probably has.

See you at halftime.

GO DRAFTPICK!

Today's game between the San Diego Chargers and Denver Broncos follows the tale of two teams headed in very different directions. 

Since losing to the Chargers in Denver, Tim Tebow has been named the Denver starting QB and has lead his team to a 4-1 record and into contention for the AFC West. The Broncos' first-year Head Coach, John Fox, has won over his team and the city of Denver. Their first-round draft pick, Von Miller, is probably the leader in the race for Defensive Rookie of the Year.;

Since beating the Broncos, the Chargers have gone 0-5. Their starting QB, Philip Rivers, leads the league in turnovers. Their Head Coach, Norv Turner, has lost the faith of the San Diego fans and is on the verge of losing his team. The team is lacking depth after losing key players to injury and not replenishing the roster with poor drafting.

If the Chargers lose this game, it could be the final straw that breaks the camel's back for Norv Turner in San Diego. If they win, it could be the start of a run that helps him keep his job.

After a week and a half hiatus, San Diego Chargers football has returned to your televisions sets! The way I see it, today's game is a win-win scenario for Chargers fans.

A win would require the Chargers to "turn things around" and play in ways they haven't so far this season, mistake-free and with a superior gameplan than the opposing team. It would shock the world and make sure that the Raiders and Broncos took notice that this once-powerful Bolts team is not dead yet.

A loss would add more fuel to the fire for the "Fire Norv!" and "Fire AJ!" crowds, but reasonable people would also be happy with a loss that wakes the team up and makes them realize that these problems are not going to simply fix themselves or get better through practice. Losses create a greater chance for major change at Chargers Park, and that hasn't been the case in years. It's a more satisfying loss.

See you at halftime. GO CHARGERS.

The shortened "Raider Week:" has come and gone, and now it's time for one of the Chargers most important games of the season. The Bolts split their season series against the Chiefs for the second year in a row, and doing so against the Raiders would be a step up from 2010.

Winning this home game against the most likely contender for the AFC West championship would not just be huge for breaking the losing streak, but it could be a vital part of a tiebreaker if these teams finish the 2011 season with the same record.

The two things that Charger fans are still searching for in this team will be easy to identify, should they decide to show up, in the first half. Defensive turnovers, the ability to avoid mental mistakes on offense, toughness against tough teams, and offensive consistency. I'll be back at halftime to let you know if I think San Diego is accomplishing any of those things.

GO CHARGERS

The San Diego Chargers are welcoming the undefeated Green Bay Packers, who are also the defending Super Bowl Champions, to Qualcomm Stadium for what looks like a wet and wild game.

Prior to the start of this game, the Dolphins are putting the finishing touches on a blowout of the Chiefs in Kansas City (I suppose it was a trap game after all). The Raiders, who are are now the only team tied for first with San Diego, will be playing the Broncos in Oakland for Carson Palmer's first start as a Raider.

Inactives for the Chargers include Kris Dielman, Shaun Phillips, Malcom Floyd and Ryan Mathews. None of the Packers' inactives are really too surprising, with the most notable names being Chad Clifton and Mike Neal.

I don't want to get too dramatic with San Diego still tied for first place, but this is about as close as you can get to a must-win game in Week 9 of the NFL season. For the fans, players and coaching staff to have confidence going forward, San Diego needs to show that they can beat a good team.

See you at halftime. GO CHARGERS.