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Well, there goes the season. The San Diego Chargers have no more hope to make the playoffs this season, and there's a pretty good chance that Mike McCoy doesn't return as the team's head coach next year.
It could've been a lot different. The Chargers had a late lead, up by 4 points until the final five minutes of the game. They also tied it up 26-26 late, but they were overwhelmed by a 2-6 Baltimore Ravens team that was, once again, healthier and more talented than the Chargers.
The story of this game will undoubtedly be about injures. Philip Rivers, Malcom Floyd, and Antonio Gates are just about the only guys that didn't leave the game with an injury, and they all played pretty well. Even the Chargers pass rush showed up every now and then. However, injuries to the offensive line and the secondary made it nearly impossible for the Chargers do protect Philip Rivers or stop Joe Flacco's deep passes from being positive plays for the Ravens.
The Chargers aren't going to beat the Broncos twice. They're just not. The Broncos are a much better team than they are, and that's obvious by looking at the team's records. Even with an incredible run to finish the season, the Chargers would need actual miracles to finish better than 8-8, which wouldn't be enough to get into the playoffs this year.
I can't remember a time when hope was dead so early on in a season for the Chargers. I don't think it's happened since Philip Rivers became QB. Even when the team was 4-8, things were not this hopeless.
I don't know what this team has left to play for, and I don't know how the rest of the season plays out. I guess everyone will just collect their checks and hope to build up their resumes. Mike McCoy's team is now 3-9 in its last 12 regular-season games, which can't look good on his resume.
Come back to BFTB tomorrow for full coverage of this game, and in a few days we'll start previewing the Monday night matchup against the Chicago Bears because we really don't have anything better to do.