Morning Dump

Get over that hump and slide down to an awesome weekend. Christmas, Chargers game and multiple games that we will be interested in. Also, basketball season begins and I will be rooting against a lot of your teams since I am a Bulls fan and they are playing against the Lakers. Can’t wait for the weekend!

After winning three straight and mugging the Ravens on national TV Sunday night, the Chargers are feeling good about themselves. They should, although that feel-good vibe falls down a notch when eying the playoff picture.

Chargers coach Norv Turner gave game balls to his entire defensive line after his team trounced the Ravens, 34-14, on Sunday night and why not? The Chargers recorded seven sacks, which tied a Ravens franchise record for the most allowed in a game.

The San Diego Chargers need to beat the Detroit Lions on Saturday, Dec. 24 to keep the playoff hopes of the Seattle Seahawks alive. The Chargers (7-7) are still battling to stay alive in the AFC West and the Lions (9-5) are in the driver’s seat for one of the NFC wild card slots. Both teams have a lot to play for, but the postseason hopes for every Seahawks fan resides squarely on the backs of the Chargers.

Last week: The Lions pulled off another late rally against the Oakland Raiders, securing a 28-27 victory with a touchdown pass from QB Matt Stafford to WR Calvin Johnson. Detroit, known for second-half comebacks, scored 14 unanswered points to close the game, including a 98-yard drive that concluded with Johnson’s TD catch with 35 seconds remaining.

Normally in this spot, we breakdown the Baltimore Ravens defensive effort to pick out the top five defensive plays of the most recent game. In Baltimore’s 34-14 loss to the San Diego Chargers on Sunday Night Football, the Chargers scored on six of their first seven possessions and only didn’t score on all seven because they missed a 37-yard field goal. On the Chargers final possession of the game, they turned the ball over on downs in Baltimore territory rather than rub it in any deeper with another score.

That might not mean much after the wreck the Chargers made of things in the middle part of their season. Still, what’s going on now could be enough to save coach Norv Turner’s job and reassure everyone that nothing’s seriously wrong with quarterback Philip Rivers. Many Chargers fans might want to see Turner gone, but it can’t be denied that Rivers’ success has been intertwined with Turner’s. Right now, both are dialed in.

As Chargers President Dean Spanos has watched his team’s past three games, his ruminations have indicated he is greatly impressed by the fact the Chargers have rebounded from the brink of hopelessness to play a dominant brand of football.

The San Diego Chargers are going through something familiar under head coach Norv Turner: Getting hot in December and hoping that’s not too little, too late to get them into the playoffs as AFC West champions. If they can’t make the playoffs for a second straight season, the thought is Turner’s tenure with the team is done.