Chargers Host Broncos in Deciding AFC West Showdown in Week 17 Sunday Night

It’s official. The word literally just came through about thirty seconds ago, and it will be the San Diego Chargers, who were widely thought to be finished with their season, having a chance to make a miraculous comeback and enter the playoffs by winning their division. What’s even more is the fact that they’d be doing it with an 8-8 record if they were to win.

 

This game showcases two of the big number producing quarterbacks in the league in Philip Rivers who has the league-high in TDs, 32, and Jay Cutler whose been shredding defenses for a good portion of the season. This game also features two teams who have been highly inconsistent, and where now, it is truly “put up or shut up” time.

 

Everybody whose anybody remembers what happened the first time these two teams met this season, when referee Ed Hochuli called a fumble by Jay Cutler as an incomplete pass that cost the Chargers the game in Denver. Now it’s either going to be the Chargers getting their revenge, or Jay Cutler proving that the Broncos were the better team all along… and I simply can’t wait to see what happens.

Can Underachieving NFL Favorites Keep Pace with the Rest of the League?

Before the start of the 2008 NFL season there were four sure-fire Super Bowl favorites; the Dallas Cowboys, San Diego Chargers, Indianapolis Colts and New England Patriots. So far after seven weeks only the Patriots seem to have any type of competitive balance with a 4-2 record and only one game behind AFC East leading Buffalo Bills at 5-1.

The aforementioned teams have not faired so well and are a combined 10-10.

Even though Tony Romo is out, there is no excuse for the lack of effort the Cowboys showed in their 34-14 blowout in St. Louis. They have allowed two upstart teams, the Redskins and Cardinals, and a bottom-feeder in St. Louis get wins against them. Even though Romo was in against the two upstarts, he has averaged at least one turnover per game.

The Chargers have been the epitomy of inconsistency through seven games going loss, loss, win, win, loss, win, loss en-route to a 3-4 record. Traveling east has not helped them as they go forward three time zones every time. Now they have to go eight time zones to play the Saints in London this weekend!

Bronco Legend Al Wilson Retires

By Alex V

Al Wilson Retires

I wanted to make some room on SportRoids to give a shout out for the recently announced retiree Al Wilson. For those of you unfamiliar with him, Al Wilson was the starting middle linebacker for the Denver Broncos from 1999 through 2006. Out of a possible 128 regular season games, Wilson only missed three of them, and ended up as the starter in 120.

Al Wilson will be remembered by NFL fans as one of the greatest sideline-to-sideline middle linebackers of the league, and by Broncos faithful as one of the greatest defensive player in Denver history. During eight seasons playing in the National Football League, he managed to make the pro bowl five out of eight. The greatest thing about him was that he proved his worth by being an all-around defensive player by posting stats in all the significant categories, as opposed to being a standout in one or two.

As a pass rusher, Wilson averaged around three sacks per season for his career. As a coverage man, when he didn’t get one of his five career interceptions, he averaged 6.8 pass deflections per year. As a playmaker Wilson averaged a forced fumble per season, and as a sure tackler, averaged 70 solos, 19.9 assisted, for a total of 89.9 per campaign.

Aside from his renaissance man-like statistics, Al was one of the more recognizable emotional defensive leaders of the NFL, and will undoubtedly be missed. He was only 31 years old when he suffered his inevitably career-ending injury on December 3^rd.

AL WILSON, SPORTSROIDS SALUTES YOU!