The Chargers Power-Hour for December 12th, 2011 was focused on the team's back-to-back wins, taking care of the Bills yesterday from Qualcomm Stadium.  The Chargers leveraged a dominant first half, a successful fake punt and a Steve Gregory interception for touchdown to overpower the Bills.

San Diego (6-7) won, 37-10, at Qualcomm Stadium on Sunday, keeping its playoff aspirations alive with back-to-back victories.

Safeties Eric Weddle and Steve Gregory helped bust open what had become a tight game in the third quarter.

Buffalo’s Bryan Scott pounced on a Philip Rivers fumble in the end zone to get the Bills within 16-10 near the beginning of the second half, and San Diego appeared forced to punt on its next possession.

Facing fourth-and-2 from the Chargers’ 30, Eric Weddle consulted with the punt team and called for a fake. Weddle, the up man, grabbed the snap and followed Randy McMichael’s block around the left end for a 10-yard gain.

San Diego’s offense found traction after that, as Rivers completed 5-of-6 passes the rest of the drive for 65 yards and a touchdown. Gregory darted in front of a Ryan Fitzpatrick pass on the next play from scrimmage, racing 26 yards for a touchdown, and the Chargers seized control once again.

The offense dominated for a second straight game, end zone fumble aside. Rivers threw six touchdowns and zero interceptions in the back-to-back wins as the Chargers scored 75 points.

Antonio Gates caught touchdowns of nine and two yards, and Patrick Crayton added a 26-yard score. Mike Tolbert ran for a 1-yard touchdown as well.

Ryan Mathews gained 148 yards of total offense and topped 100 yards rushing for a third consecutive game.

The defense has given up just three points in the last six quarters, and the kick coverage units have played at a high level since a loss to Chicago on Nov. 20.

San Diego remains two games behind Denver (8-5) in the AFC West with three to play. Five teams also are ahead of the Chargers for the final AFC Wild Card slot, including Oakland (7-6), whom the Bolts still face.  In case you missed any of the Chargers Power-Hour, don't forget that all the audio can be found at the world-famous Podcast Center.

The Chargers Power-Hour for November 28th, 2011 was focused on yet another loss for this team, now 6 straight losses and this time, at the hands of Tim Tebow and the Broncos, a team that is now looking to win the division, along with the Raiders. 

The latest blow came Sunday in a 16-13 overtime loss to Denver at Qualcomm Stadium.

Stoked by a 15-play, 91-yard touchdown drive, San Diego (4-7) constructed its first halftime lead since Oct. 23 against the New York Jets. The Chargers fell to 3-2 when leading after two quarters in 2011 and 10-3 since last season.

Philip Rivers completed all five pass attempts to five different receivers, amassing 51 yards on the drive that ended with a 6-yard strike to Antonio Gates.

But the end of the second quarter proved critical. Up 10-0 with 1:43 left, San Diego allowed a 31-yard Eddie Royal punt return. Then Paul Oliver punched the ball out of Daniel Fells’ hands.

It appeared multiple Chargers got their hands on the football but none were able to secure it, and Orlando Franklin recovered for Denver (6-5) at San Diego’s 24-yard line. Tim Tebow threw an 18-yard touchdown pass to Eric Decker two plays later to get within 10-7 one minute before halftime.

The Chargers opened the second half by forcing a three-and-out and earned first-and-goal at Denver’s 9-yard line before settling for a 25-yard field goal to extend the lead to 13-7 early in the third quarter. San Diego obtained just three more first downs the rest of the half. Elvis Dumervil made three sacks as the difficulties the Bolts face on the offensive line made passing troublesome.

Pro Bowl veterans Kris Dielman and Marcus McNeill remain out, as does starter Louis Vasquez. Backup Scott Mruczkowski and Dielman both are on Reserve-Injured, and backup Tyronne Green missed his second consecutive game.

San Diego’s defense held Denver to 5-of-16 on third down, but three of the conversions led to Matt Prater field goals late in the third and fourth quarters to send the game to overtime. A 24-yard Willis McGahee run with 2:00 left in the extra period set up Prater’s 37-yard game-winner.

Antonio Gates caught his fourth touchdown in six games for the Chargers. A distraught Nick Novak improved to 7-of-7 against Denver this season, including a career-long 53-yard make, then missed from 48 and 53 yards, the latter a game-winning chance in overtime.

The Broncos now have won five of their last six games after dropping to 1-4 against San Diego on Oct. 9.

The loss extends San Diego’s losing streak to six games, its longest in a single season since 2001. The Chargers have not won in 49 days. The Bolts fall three games behind Oakland in the AFC West with five to play.  In case you missed any of the Chargers Power-Hour for today, don't forget that all audio can be found at Podcast Center.

The Chargers Power-Hour for November 22nd, 2011 was once again focused on the loss the Bears this past weekend and now looking ahead to this weekend's game against the Broncos from Qualcomm Stadium, will San Diego lose 6 straight games??  In spite of the obvious disappointment in losing another game, not much changed about the Chargers’ mindset Monday.

Players and coaches are being asked big-picture questions with greater frequency but remain short-sighted as the most effective way to compete in the AFC West this year.

San Diego (4-6) will face Denver (5-5) in Qualcomm Stadium, where the Bolts are 3-2 this season.

Attempts to comprehend and dissect the current slide may be overkill. The Chargers just haven’t played winning football.

The Chargers haven’t played their best late in games in the last month. San Diego has nine fourth-quarter turnovers in the last six games, getting outscored 41-20.

Sunday’s fourth quarter against the Bears was scoreless, but the Chargers managed just four offensive plays – two incompletions and two interceptions. San Diego didn’t gain a yard of total offense. That also allowed Matt Forte to improve from what was a nine-carry, 18-yard day.

Still, San Diego’s defense managed to corral the NFL’s leader in total offense for most of the game.

Ryan Mathews on Monday discussed his fumble that led to Chicago’s second touchdown in less than a minute of the third quarter, saying he’s “very disappointed.”

After reviewing film, Mathews, a naturally upright runner, concluded he’s slipped a bit compared to his early-season form. Keeping your pads low makes it more difficult for defenses to strip the ball, he said, and it’s something he’s been coached to do all season.

Mathews has fumbled nine times in 21 NFL games and lost five. As a result, feel they have a chance to punch the ball out and tend to target him for strips.

The running back had lost just one fumble in the first nine games of the season. Turner said Mathews still has made progress despite the costly turnover Sunday, particularly between the tackles.  In case you missed any of the Chargers Power-Hour for today, don't forget that you can always find the audio at our world-famous Podcast Center.

The Chargers Power-Hour for November 21st, 2011 was focused on the most recent loss, 5 in a row now, yesterday at the hands of the Chicago Bears. 

Back-to-back Chicago touchdown passes in the third quarter broke open an even game and forced San Diego into scramble mode. The Bolts couldn’t muster a late comeback as the Chargers fell to the Bears, 31-20.

The game marked the fifth consecutive loss for San Diego (4-6), which dropped to third place in the AFC West and fell two games behind Oakland.

The Bears scored on touchdown drives of 41, 44 and 37 yards as a punt return, kick return and a Ryan Mathews fumble set up short fields. The latter ushered forth Chicago’s second touchdown in 54 seconds during the third quarter.

“When we have a short field, we have to get them stopped,” Quentin Jammer said. “As a defense, that’s something you’re taught and coached to do. We have to get them stopped wherever they are on the field.”

San Diego’s offense moved the ball despite missing three starters on the offensive line, but recurring issues in the red zone and with late-game turnovers popped up to the chagrin of the blue-and-gold. The Bolts got inside the Chicago 30 twice in the fourth quarter but only managed a 48-yard field goal.

Vincent Jackson helped the Bolts stay close, absorbing a jolting blow from safety Chris Conte on a 47-yard catch and securing a 5-yard touchdown in tight coverage four plays later, tying the game 17-17 just after halftime.

Chicago, though, answered with a 42-yard completion to Johnny Knox that set up a 1-yard Jay Cutler touchdown run on the ensuing possession. Knox added a 24-yard score less than a minute later.

San Diego’s opening gambit gave the Chargers a 3-0 first-quarter lead, key against a Chicago team engineered to play from ahead. But the Bears claimed a 17-10 advantage by halftime.

Devin Hester got loose on a pair of punt returns in the second quarter, one of which created a short field and led to a 1-yard Marion Barber touchdown. A long Knox kickoff return also preceded a 4-yard Kellen Davis touchdown catch just before the intermission.

Jackson finished just shy of a career high, catching seven passes for 165 yards.

Antoine Cason made his first interception of the season in the fourth quarter, but Philip Riversthrew a pick looking for Jackson in the end zone a few plays later.  In case you missed any of the Chargers Power-Hour, don't forget that we always have the audio at our Podcast Center.

The Chargers Power-Hour for November 10th, 2011 was once again focused heavily on tonight's game against the Raiders from Qualcomm Stadium.  NFL commissioner Roger Goodell met with San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders on Thursday to discuss the latest developments in the attempt to fund a new downtown stadium.

Goodell, in town to attend the Huntington’s Disease Society of America’s Celebration of Hope Gala, was one of many big-time guests in the Manchester Grand Hyatt’s Elizabeth Ballroom on Wednesday night, including Chris Berman, Deion Sanders, Marshall Faulk and Michael Irvin.

Chargers special counsel Mark Fabiani has been consistent in referring to the current idea of formulating a downtown stadium in conjunction with convention center expansion as the team’s “last, best” option.

Twenty-six NFL stadiums are new or recently renovated, Goodell estimated. The commissioner, asked about the need to replace Qualcomm Stadium, cited the general need around the league for any older stadium to improve the quality of sight lines, fan amenities, the stadium seats themselves, suites, access in and out of the facility and revenue opportunities.

The Chargers’ franchise isn’t alone in the Golden State, which has proven to pose unique challenges in finding the type of private-public partnership necessary to complete such a massive undertaking.

“The three stadiums in California certainly are not up to the standards we’re seeing in the rest of the NFL or, frankly, other sports,” Goodell said, adding that the stadium experience is becoming even more important as the league aims to provide fans incentive to continue to attend in person.

Though Goodell said he travels to NFL cities often and wants to stay abreast of the league’s relationship with local communities, it seemed his early-November visit to San Diego, spurred by the opportunity to attend the HD fundraiser, meant something to him because of his relationship with Chairman of the Board – CEO Dean Spanos and the rest of the Chargers’ ownership.

Asked about the likelihood of an NFL stadium being built in Los Angeles sometime in the near future, Goodell explained getting a venue financed and constructed that’s acceptable to the community and produces the right kind of revenue is a delicate task and certainly not guaranteed. Goodell also said a substantial relocation fee “would be a consideration” for any team pondering a move.

The new Collective Bargaining Agreement all but guarantees 10 years of labor peace and includes stadium financing abilities where the players and teams share as investors in the game’s future, Goodell said, a factor that’s shifted in a positive direction this year.  In case you missed any of the Chargers Power-Hour, hit up the Podcast Center.