30-year old WR Malcom Floyd was a huge key in the explosive passing game of the Chargers in 2010 and 2009.  But in 2011, he just can’t stay healthy and the offense has missed him big time.  Floyd has only played in 7 games for the Chargers this year and he has 19 catches for 401 yards (21.1 avg) with 1 TD grab.  He has now played in 69 games in his first 7 years with the Chargers and he has caught 153 passes for 2,715 yards (17.7 avg) with 16 TD grabs.

The Chargers have placed 28-year old OT Marcus McNeill on the Injured Reserve List due to a neck injury.  McNeill played in 9 games (all starts) for the Chargers this year.  He has now played in 82 games (all starts) in his first six years for the Chargers.  This is a huge blow to the offensive line of the Chargers.

The Chargers have claimed 25-year old OT Jared Gaither off waivers from the Kansas City Chiefs.  Gaither played in 10 games (0 starts) for the Chiefs this year.  He has now played in 43 games (28 starts) in his first five years in the NFL.  Gaither might be in the starting lineup for the Chargers soon, as he has big time talent.  I love this pickup for the Chargers.

Nick Novak missed a 53-yard field goal in O.T., which set up Tim Tebow and his cohorts for a game winning drive.  Matt Prater of the Broncos nailed a 37-yard field goal with only 29 seconds left in O.T. to beat the Chargers.  Philip Rivers was so-so once again as he completed 19 0f 36 passes for 188 yards with 1 TD pass and 0 INTs.  Ryan Mathews led the way for the Chargers today on the ground with 137 yards rushing on 22 carries (6.2 ypc).  Mike Tolbert pitched in with 44 yards rushing on 11 carries (4.0 ypc) and he also caught 3 passes for 19 yards (6.3 avg).  WR Vincent Brown (3 rec, 50 yards) and TE Antonio Gates (6 rec, 49 yards, TD) led the way in the passing game for the Chargers today.  The Chargers finished up with 185 yards rushing on 36 carries (5.1 ypc) and they also completed 19 of 36 passes (52.8%) for 159 yards as they had possession of the ball for 37:23.

The defense had serious issues against the run today and it is why they lost this game.  LB Takeo Spikes led the way for the Chargers’ D in this game with 14 tackles and 1 tackle for a loss.  Safety Eric Weddle (7 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss and 1 pass defensed), DE Vaughn Martin (7 tackles) and LB Donald Butler (6 tackles, 3 tackles for a loss) also got a lot of work in today.  The Broncos finished up with 208 yards rushing on 51 carries (4.1 ypc) and they also completed 9 of 18 passes (50%) for 141 yards.  The Chargers are now 4-7 on the year.

The Chargers have lost five straight games since they beat the Broncos 29-24 in Denver.  The Broncos have changed QBs since the loss to the Chargers and they are 4-1 since then, including a 3-0 record on the road.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Chargers have the ball:  The Chargers always seem to play better late in the year, and they better hope that trend starts tomorrow.  The Chargers will need to come out throwing the ball in an effort to get a big lead and take the Broncos out of their game plan.  For that to happen, the Chargers are going to have to give Philip Rivers enough time to throw the ball.  The Broncos only have 7 interceptions this year and they are giving up 242.3 yards passing per game, so if Rivers is ever going to turn things around…..tomorrow is the day.  WR Vincent Jackson is a huge matchup problem for the Broncos’ secondary, so he should have a huge game.  Antonio Gates and rookie Vincent Brown are also likely to have solid games tomorrow for the Chargers.  Mike Tolbert and Ryan Mathews will give the Chargers a decent running game tomorrow while also catching a few passes.

When the Broncos have the ball:  The Chargers are going to have to sell out to stop the run.  If they stop Willis McGahee and Tim Tebow from running the ball, this game should be a blowout win for the Chargers.   That is a big if though, as the Broncos are averaging 154.9 yards rushing per game and 4.9 yards per carry so far this year.  The Chargers will probably double cover WR Eric Decker and force Tim Tebow to beat them by throwing to someone else.

PREDICTION:  CHARGERS 30, BRONCOS 17

29-year old QB Philip Rivers has been awful so far this year.  He has played in 10 games for the Chargers so far this year and he has completed 237 of 383 passes (61.9%) for 3,023 yards with 15 TD passes and 17 INTs (81.1 QB Rating).  Rivers has also carried the ball 22 times for 38 yards (1.7 ypc) with 1 TD run so far this year.  Rivers has a career high of 17 interceptions already this year as he has been pretty terrible.  Rivers has 7 multi-interception games already this year and the Chargers are 2-5 in those games.  The Chargers are still only two games behind the Raiders in the AFC West, so if Rivers turns things around, they could still win the division.

The Chargers have lost 29-year old backup center Scott Mruczkowski for the rest of the season due to a nasty concussion.  He played in 10 games (1 start) for the Chargers this year.  He has now played in 83 games (16 starts) in his first seven years in the NFL.  This is going to hurt the depth of the Chargers’ offensive line.

The San Diego Chargers just didn’t play well enough yesterday to keep up with the Bears.  Philip Rivers completed 21 of 31 passes for 280 yards with 2 TD passes and 2 INTs.  Ryan Mathews led the way on the ground for the Chargers in this game with 37 yards rushing on 13 carries (2.8 ypc) and he also caught 2 passes for 14 yards (7.0 avg).  Mike Tolbert pitched in with 14 yards rushing on 3 carries  (4.7 ypc) and he also caught 5 passes for 24 yards (4.8 avg) in this game.  WR Vincent Jackson (7 rec, 165 yards, TD) and TE Antonio Gates (4 rec, 63 yards, TD) led the way in the passing game for the Chargers yesterday.  The Chargers finished up with 52 yards rushing on 17 carries (3.1 ypc) and they also completed 21 of 31 passes (67.7%) for 280 yards as they had possession of the ball for 26:50.

The defense was solid against the run yesterday, but not so good against the pass in this game.  CB Quentin Jammer (5 tackles), safety Eric Weddle (5 tackles and 1 tackle for a loss) and CB Antoine Cason (4 tackles, 3 passes defensed and a interception that he returned 64 yards) led the way for the Chargers on D in this game.  The Bears finished up with 93 yards rushing on 32 carries (2.9 ypc) and they also completed 18 of 32 passes (56.3%) for 286 yards.  The Chargers are now 4-6 on the season.

The Chargers have waived 24-year old WR/KR Bryan Walters.  Walters played in 4 games for the Chargers this year and he caught 3 passes for 27 yards (9.0 avg).  He also returned 8 punts for 45 yards (5.6 avg) this year for the Chargers.  The Chargers are hoping that Walters clears waivers so they can put him on the practice squad.

The Chargers have looked awful the last four weeks.  They have lost four games in a row by a combined score of 119-96.  The Bears on the other hand, are red hot right now.  The Bears have won four games in a row by a combined score of 130-65!  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Chargers have the ball:  The Chargers will likely come out running the ball with Ryan Mathews and Mike Tolbert against a Bears’ D that is allowing 106.7 yards rushing per game and 5.1 yards per carry so far this year.  Philip Rivers has not played well this year and part of the reason for that is that he has been sacked 25 times already this year.  Rivers makes bad throws after he has been hit hard a couple of times, so the O-Line is going to have to keep him clean if they are going to have success through the air tomorrow.  Vincent Jackson, Vincent Brown, Antonio Gates and the RBs are going to be Rivers’ key receivers tomorrow.

When the Bears have the ball:  The Bears are very balanced offensively, but Matt Forte is the main man.  Forte has 869 yards rushing and 439 yards receiving so far this year!  The Chargers are giving up 127.9 yards rushing per game and 4.5 yards per carry, so Forte is likely going to get his fair share of yards in this game.  The Bears have been going with max protection when throwing the ball and it has benefitted QB Jay Cutler big time.  The Chargers are going to have to get after Cutler, as he is good throwing the ball down the field when he’s comfortable in the pocket.

PREDICTION:  BEARS 31, CHARGERS 21