A Fitting AFC West Conclusion
The San Diego Chargers were somewhere over the Gulf of Mexico, heading home after battering the Buccaneers in Tampa when they learned they would have a chance to play for the AFC West championship.
Buffalo 30, Denver 23.
“We were at 30,000 feet and I think the plane shot up to about 40,000 feet,” said Chargers safety Clinton Hart told the San Diego Union-Tribune.
Give it to the Chargers. Left for dead a month ago, they did what they had to do. They started winning.
Who knew the Denver Broncos would choke and make the impossible come to life. They’ve led the AFC West since day No. 1 of the 2008 season. But if they can’t find a way to go to San Diego and beat the Chargers this coming Sunday night, Denver’s season will end.
It’s all an appropriate finale for what has been a strange year in the AFC West. If the Chargers beat the Broncos, they will win the division with an 8-8 record. The Chargers own the tiebreaker through a superior division record, so if they win, the Broncos are done.
Since the NFL division era began in 1967, no team has held a three-game lead with three to go and not made the playoffs.
“This is what football’s all about, and we’re going to see what type of guys we have in our locker room,” Broncos wide receiver Brandon Marshall said after the game. “This is going to determine a lot of things. What guys I want to take in my foxhole, we’ll see.”
The last time a team with a .500 record has been a division winner was 1985 when the Cleveland Browns won the AFC Central in a season when the Broncos went 11-5, but did not make the playoffs as a wildcard team. The last team to make the playoffs with an 8-8 record was the St. Louis Rams in 2004.
The winner of this AFC West bowl will get a first-round game at home against the Indianapolis Colts.
Denver quarterback Jay Cutler tried to find solace last night in the fact the Broncos were not preseason favorites to win the division.
“If you had told us in the beginning of the year that it was a one-game series with us and San Diego to go to the playoffs, we probably would have taken it,” he told reporters in Denver. “We’ve got to keep our heads up. We’ve got one game left and winner gets in.”
See you back next season as KC Chiefs Head Coach Herm- AFC Coach of the Year in 2009 for the West Division Winner Chiefs!
Keep up the great work!
Denver is going to get slaughtered in San Diego. Last weeks loss to SD is well worth it to me to see the Donkeys go home cryin’ next week.
I hate both teams… that being said, I hate the Broncos a lot more. The way I see it, this will be a win/win if the Chargers make it. It means Norv Turner will be back as Chargers HC next year for sure… that’s GOOD news for Chiefs fans.
LMAO Eli, that’s true but we could easily counter that bonus by herms continued tutaledge.
Hell yeah good this is so funny. I hate both of these teams. And my friends wonder why I’m so optimistic about the Chiefs. Because when you have these two lousy teams one of them about to win the division. I know we can come back next year with an improved roster and win the division next year.
If the Bolts make it into the post-season, the team should vote D Bowe in for about a quarter share of the $$ in thanks of his ‘fisted’ fielding of the onside kick that allowed SD to stay alive.
Even though San Diego has more talent, I’ll take Shanny in this situation over that pock-marked loser Norv Turner any day of the week in a clutch game like this.
That’s exactly how thge rest of the division feels about us keeping Herm. Except for Shanny, who has a horrid team that somehow can still win this pathtic division, this Division is the laughingstock of the League in Head Coaches. You have puppet Cable, a total proven incompetant in Herm, and a joke in Norv that has the best team in the division by about 5 games having to struggle to get in. Each team wants the other to keep their horrible Head Coach, and The Rat wants us all to kep our Head Coaches so he can stay competive with a horrible team.
LOL colby, So you think the guy w/one eye squirrel huntin and the other eye catfishin, will out coach the former victim of a quail hunt w/dick Cheney?
I’d rather it be the Chargers but, I do think they are hamstrung by turner.
If Herm decides on his own to not return – and that’s the ‘only’ way he will not be back, the Chiefs should hire Ara Raoul Parseghian.
During the ‘Era of Ara’ at Notre Dame his teams went 95-17-4, and, at only 86 years of age 2009 he will be well rested aft not coaching for the past 35 years. Too, younger Chiefs fans may not know this but Kaycee wanted to hire Ara back in 1975 after Hank Stram left.
Herm’s The Man and will return – but if he chooses not to – Ara’s The Man!
The best coaches are the old…if not the dead:
Ara Parseghian – Lou Saban – Joe Paterno – Marv Levy.
Keep up the great work Coach Edwards. ALL of KC is behind you and we know that you will lead us back to glory very soon now.
AND NOW, Clark Hunt has RE-RE-affirmed Herm’s The Man!
Tyler can beat Denver , San Diego —-He just needs more time .
How much time did he have in college , over 80% of his QB experince has been in the last 5 games with a lot of injuries around him and mostly rookies at that !!!!
I said this once —- Bret Farve will tell his grand kids he played and beat Tyler Tigpen in his first game , barley , that was something !!!!
Kansas City is an old cow-town , and it seems that theres still a lot of QUICK-DRAW — 10 gal.cowboy hats full of cow S#*! around !!!! YEE-HAW . Gittey UP Herm , get that herd going through the gate , thier ready !!!!!!
With draft and changes in coaches and free agency you do not know who is going to win this division next year . But if I had to make the choice right now it will be the Chargers the return of Shawnee Merriam will bring back that defense. Norv is horrible but he will bring in different coaches next year.
Is Julius Peppers a free agent this spring ?
yes jim, but is a prime candidate for the “franchise tag”
By the way, not for nothing, but…
How does the unintellible and non contributing blatter of Rin Tin Tin and now JohnNDallas add anything to the discussion on this site but a study in moronic angst and embarrassment to meaningful discussion?
Mr. Gretz has surely noticed the same?
Not a good comment list. Would suggest some of you take a break, kiss your wife, pet the dog or better yet, save your comments for tomorrow
This is my first time commenting but your comment was uncalled for Get a life Rip JohnNdallas is one of thefew people here who makes sense. I know bob has noticed that because I have. at least he has some insight.I do agree that Rin Tin Tin is just a moron, but so was your last statment.
Herm Edwards will have a great draft in 2009 as KC Chiefs Head Coach! Look forward to it Herm!
BravoTwoSix,
Welcome to our world.Glad to have you on board.
Rip em a new one, what did you say that was so profound?
You and the tin man should be pen pals.
lol tin man!. every one must agree he is a plight on this blog.
Well alrighty than r.i.p. I hope your dog dies!
Because I said Peppers is a likely candidate for the franchise tag, my post are “unintellible” “and non contributing “blatter” and I don’t “add anything to the discussion on this site but a study in moronic angst and embarrassment to meaningful discussion”
LMAO
Shud up! You Turd!
Kansas City should have as many as 50,000 fans reading home sports webs.
Miami has 600 or more coments a week ( mostly female ) I think .
Come on girls , say something nice ?
Excitement’s growin’ as Herm Edwards prepares for his off season draft and free agent acquisitions as Head Coach 2009 for my and your Kansas City Chiefs!
heh heh heh
Herm will “step down” just like Carl “stepped down”. A nice, gentle firing. As long as they’re gone, no one cares about the semantics.
I like Rin’s comments. I especially like the way he gets under the negatives skin. He adds a lot more than most to this blog. Rin, keep up the good work. I know that you don’t need the encouragement but here is a cheer for the Rin!
I don’t even read Rin’s post on here anymore, I just skip over them.
Go Bolts for the division win, we have your number for next year.
Good Man MenInRed, None of the best people do!