The Chargers are still flying under the radar and really came down the stretch playing their best football. Last weekend they won despite losing their best offensive linemen to a stinger, but I expect him back this week which will only help. Nobody played the Broncos tougher than the Chargers did this season. The Chargers were the only defense to hold the Broncos under 400 yards and they did it twice by limiting the number of plays by controlling the time of possession. There is nothing that Peyton Manning can do to fix that. It will be completely up to the defense of the Denver Broncos to limit what Phillip Rivers and the Chargers do to control the clock and I don't think they are up to the task. The Chargers are running the ball as good as any team in the league behind their offensive line and Ryan Mathews and the always under rated Danny Woodhead.
There is also something to be said about playing a divisional opponent in the playoffs because that means it is the third time you face a team. If anything this game should stay close because these teams know each other well. Peyton Manning did not have an extra week to prepare against the Chargers, because he did not know they were going to win until last week. Manning who has struggled in the playoffs for whatever reason has also struggled against the Chargers defense many times. I see his possessions being limited by the Chargers who will dominate the time of possession again.
