Chargers 23 - 34 Broncos

Well that went well, wouldn't you say? I mean sure, our heroes lost to the hated Denver Broncos and most likely threw the division out the window, but look on the bright side! We played one of the better teams in the league real tough! Hung right in there! Made a gosh darn game of it! The reality is this, folk(s): this year's incarnation of the Bolts isn't an elite team. Injuries and the coaching of one Mr. Wet Blanket have turned us into a middle-of-the-pack-maybe-going-to-pull-a-few-upsets-and-make-the-playoffs team. That's right, we're the Texans. And I, for one, am glad. All that pressure of being the perennial "most talented team?" It's gone! Finally, I can sit back and enjoy the 6-7 wins we have left and maybe not take the 4-5 losses so hard. Very liberating.

On a more analytical note, it appears LT is "back." I think we saw the best of his physical abilities last night. Those couple tackles he took from behind represent the step of speed he appears to have lost, which is to be expected, but he's clearly still elite. He still has to get his confidence back in the open field; he looked lost on the couple occasions that he broke into the secondary, and that's all instinct that will come back in time. Oh and before we delve into the darkness that is line play, Rivers and Gates were awesome as well.

Now the elephant in the blog. The lines. Awful. Disgusting. More pointed one word descriptions of how bad they were. The worst part is theres not even anything we can do. The fact is Hardwick and Williams were the anchors of both lines and with them out we just don't get protection or pressure. The offensive line isn't as big an issue as Rivers is exceptional under pressure and we appear to have our elite ground game back, but the D-line is going to prove to be our downfall. We just don't have the personnel for a 3-4 without Jamal Williams, and a mid-season switch to 4-3 would cause more problems than it solves. Maybe a trade is in order, but personally I don't see the point of giving up future draft picks to try and save a season that might already be over.

One final note: Until further notice, this is the Fire Norv season, just so it serves a purpose.