The Chargers spent their Christmas evening beating the Tennessee Titans by 25 points, and it wasn't even that close. Both of the Titans' touchdowns came essentially against a "soft zone" by the Chargers defense that was more than happy to trade time off the clock for points.
The San Diego Chargers have won ten straight games this season, and it's been with the same formula for each game. The Bolts simply do not make kill themselves with turnovers or penalties, and then they put up a bunch of points to force their opponent into making the mistakes. In this game, the Titans had to try and come back on the shoulders of Vince Young and he ended up turning the ball over three times. With the ball in their hands, the Chargers scored touchdowns on just about every drive through the air (2 passing TDs, 132.1 QB rating for Rivers) and on the ground (2 TDs for Tomlinson, 2 TDs for Sproles).
In a game where Philip Rivers only had 6 incomplete passes, and was pulled early in the fourth quarter, it's obvious where the mismatch lied. The Titans CBs and LBs simply could not defend Malcom Floyd, Vincent Jackson and Antonio Gates. That, plus the fact that the Chargers defense has been opportunistic and great-when-necessary for most of the season, is all you need to know about this one-sided matchup.
The Chargers have now officially clinched a playoff bye and the number 2 seed in the AFC. So, what do they do against the Redskins next week in San Diego? Do they treat it like a normal game? Do they rest all of the starters? Do they rest the guys with nagging injuries (Merriman, Phillips) but play all of the other starters? Tell me what you think in the comments. Bolts & Dolts tomorrow.