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“Chargers-Pretenders-Now-Contenders”

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It was ‘Big Play Day’ on Sunday in Seattle.

The Chargers had to face a jacked up Seahawks sellout crowd, a Pete Carroll inspired team, and deal with the memory of the late beloved Seattle owner Paul Allen.

It doesn’t matter where Philip Rivers plays, because of his ‘refuse to lose’ approach to all things NFL football. It wound up being a gritty (25-17) Chargers win.

It didn’t matter his team had to start drives at its own 5-5-6-15-16-17. More field position to work with.

It didn’t matter they had to go silent count most of the day, with the noise meter registering 104 at Century Link Field.

It didn’t matter about the history of failure up there, where the Bolts were (6-16) in the Pacific Northwest dating back to the Don Coryell-Dan Fouts 1981-season.

He had a healthy Melvin Gordon running tough.

He had wide receiver Keenan Allen running circles around linebackers and corners and safeties.

When they were done, Rivers had firmly put his team into the AFC playoff picture, with a chance to get a home football game in the futbol stadium they play in.

Rivers threw for an economic (228). Gordon rumbled for (113Y). Allen had 8-catches for (124) and added in a couple of big jet sweep runs.

The Chargers were brazen. They ran sweeps from their own 5-yard line. They spread the ball sideline to sideline.

They covered well, made Seahawks QB-Russell Wilson hold the ball, scramble, and take 4-sacks along the way.

Like anything else in a street fight, and that’s what this game became, it became messy. There were 22-combined penalties in all. Seattle’s offensive line took 7-of them and took itself out of good field position and subtracted big plays.

Young DB-Desmond King returned some kicks, and hauled a pass back 42-yards for a backbreaking fourth quarter interception-TD.

Yes the Bolts may have gotten some breaks. There was a phantom Seattle offensive pass interference call on what they said was a Seahawks pick play deep in Chargers territory. Didn’t see it that way.

Seattle got a flag on OT-Justin Britt, who came to the aid of his running back, who was being mugged by 4-Chargers because of a slow whistle. It hurt alot.

Mike Williams spin-o-rama catch down the sidelines, sure looked as if his heel stepped out of bounds, the refs-replay didn’t seem to think it happened that way.

Pete Carroll will have enough of a stomach ache from this bad home loss, but it will worsen, if the NFL sends him note this week, ‘we erred’ on a couple of those calls.

Nothing is ever perfect for the Chargers. They should not allow K-Caleb Sturgis back on the plane. Instead just give him a bus ticket home, with the memory of 10-missed kicks this year, including 6-point after attempts. And that’s in just 8-games so far.

The secondary still gives up pass plays, takes holding and pass interference penalties, but as long as that quarterback is there, you have to start to believe this could be a special season.

That winning streak is now at 5-games, flashing back to the Martyball or Boss Ross era.

Of course LA fans, whatever number who may wear Chargers colors, don’t know anything about that. In San Diego we recall all the special Sundays, but feel badly, since these Sundays we now have are empty.

It only counts as one win, and there are still some big games to come. But you’d rather be dealing with this, than dealing with what Buffalo-Jacksonville-Giants-or Browns fans are dealing with.

It was interesting, on Sunday morning, NBC sports referred to the Chargers as “LA’s-B-Team” making positive references to the formerly unbeaten Rams. The insults keep coming at Team Spanos.

For one day however, because of Rivers and his pals on offense, the Chargers look like playoff contenders, no longer pretenders.

I wonder if anyone in LA, where they love the Rams, LeBron James, and talk about the Dodgers leadership, will notice. Rivers and the Bolts offense keep winning, and trying to send those messages of who they are, how good they’ve become.

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