Blots, not Bolts

The San Diego Chargers were supposed to win the AFC West. Even as their season unspooled unfavorably, they stayed on the heels of the Denver Broncos .

"Two back and five to go," quarterback Philip Rivers said last week.

Surely, the season-ender against Denver would salvage their playoff hopes.

Now it's simply wreckage. The Chargers lost 22-16 at home to the Atlanta Falcons, getting run over by their former teammate, Michael Turner. The Broncos slapped the New York Jets around on the road in an upset. Three back, four to go, and the Chargers (4-8) hope they can right themselves at home Thursday night against the Oakland Raiders .

Turner, formerly LaDainian Tomlinson's backup, carried 31 times for 120 yards.

A stretch of home games signaled the time for a turnaround, with three in a row in their own comfy confines. The Chargers instead lost to the Indianapolis Colts on a field goal on the last play and absorbed a solid beating from the playoff-minded Falcons (8-4).

Management previously said coach Norv Turner would return next year.

"We know Norv will be back, so what do you do? You have to make changes with players," Tomlinson says. "If you're losing, you expect that, and it's our own fault."

2

The spoilers

The San Francisco 49ers won't win the NFC West. Not at 4-8 and with the Arizona Cardinals one victory from clinching. The division the 49ers could most affect is the AFC East.

Their 10-3 road win might have mortally wounded the Buffalo Bills (6-6) in their quest for their first playoff berth since 1999. Now the 49ers turn their attention to the New York Jets (8-4), who lead the division by one game. After that, the 49ers are at the Miami Dolphins (7-5).

The victory against the Bills was the 49ers' first against a team with a winning record. "It takes confidence to beat a team with a winning record," linebacker Takeo Spikes says.

Defensive coordinator Mike Manusky's emphasis on toughness in the red zone paid off. Buffalo was inside the San Francisco 10-yard line three times and got only a field goal. They missed one kick and were stopped on downs.

The 49ers lead the NFC in opponents' touchdown percentage inside the 20-yard line. "The red zone is our zone," Spikes says. "We will not let you in."

3

Beltway battle

There's a Baltimore beltway and a Washington beltway, and they encircle their respective cities, moving the traffic (at least in theory) around them.

There's a Baltimore Football team heading in one direction and a Washington team moving in the other, and they meet Sunday night. The Ravens seem to be driving toward the playoffs, while the Redskins putter along in the slow lane.

Winning six of their last seven games, the Ravens (8-4) sit a game behind the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC North. The Redskins (7-5) have lost three of their last four.

The Ravens haven't given up an offensive touchdown in eight quarters; Washington has scored four in its last four games.

Three of Baltimore's next four games are at home (Redskins, Steelers, at Dallas Cowboys, Jacksonville Jaguars ).

"Playing so many road games early in the season was a burden for us, but we are reaping the rewards now," Ravens linebacker Bart Scott says. "We want the road to the playoffs to come through Baltimore."

4

Fish tales

With three of their final four games on the road, the Dolphins face obstacles in their quest for their first playoff berth since 2001. Yet who figured they'd even be in such a position after going 1-15 a year ago?

That's one reason the Dolphins (7-5) savor their victories, even the 16-12 triumph vs. the St. Louis Rams. "I've been in this league long enough to understand that each win is so precious and each win is a gem," quarterback Chad Pennington says.

The Dolphins held the Rams without a touchdown (the Rams had scored one in their previous four games) and won on the road for the second consecutive time.

They'll try again against the Bills on Sunday in Toronto.