I figured it was to good to be true that the Broncos would shut out the Patriots.  Denver was up 24-0 at halftime and then as soon as the second half started, New England had scored 31 unanswered points.  It’s a bad sign for a team to give up that many points after being ahead by nearly the same amount.  Also what was weird about this game is that Peyton Manning once again looked lost playing in Foxboro.  The weather wasn’t great by any means, but Patriots QB Tom Brady had by far his best game of the season with the wild wind.  Granted New England made sure that Tom Brady wasn’t throwing into the wind with them deferring to Denver after winning the coin toss in overtime.  I thought that would be a mistake, but it wasn’t after all.  The Patriots made the necessary adjustments and the Broncos looked lost once they left the locker room for the second half.  This game could have a big impact later in the season if the Broncos lose a few more games and don’t get a first round bye.  That could come back to haunt them if they have to play in Foxboro with the same weather conditions.

For far too long Philip Rivers has been an average quarterback.  He showed a lot of good promise earlier in his career, but that was with more weapons at his disposal.  Soon after most of those players left Rivers started to struggle and the offensive line wasn’t as effective in pass protection.  Rivers is the definition of a pocket passer.  Seeing him throw on the run is painful to watch, but he can make a play if given time.  The most important thing the Chargers needed to do was give Rivers a safety net and seeing how he interacts with RB Danny Woodhead in the passing game reminds me of when he had LaDainian Tomlinson and Darren Sproles bailing him out.  That was the reason why the Kansas City Chiefs didn’t have an answer for the Chargers.  Those plays setup the big completions that San Diego would need later on to win the game.  I don’t think San Diego will clinch a playoff spot this year, but going forward if they can keep the offense running like this the Chargers will bounce back next year and beyond.  Their defense still needs some work, but San Diego could make a move next year and for the rest of this one.

The Green Bay Packers desperately need Aaron Rodgers back. The Chicago Bears seem to be doing okay without Jay Cutler, but their defense looks uninspired.  The Detroit Lions don’t seem to want to increase their lead in the division and the Minnesota Vikings are playing spoiler right now.  If it weren’t for the NFC East, the NFC North could be considered the worst division in the NFL. Detroit and Green Bay, once Aaron Rodgers returns, are playoff teams, but I don’t think they will go very far.  If Chicago could be consistent week to week they might be in the conversation as well, but that’s a big question when Jay Cutler comes back.  If he struggles do they bench him in favor of Josh McCown who has played well in his absence?  With the case of the Lions I don’t know what to think. Their offense is so good that it puzzles me to see Matthew Stafford throw 4 interceptions against the lowly Tampa Bay Buccaneers.  If he threw one less interception they would have probably won that game.  The Packers are a different team with Aaron Rodgers and it showed with their tie agains the Minnesota Vikings at Lambeau Field.  They had no life in them going into overtime and their confidence fell early with Scott Tolzien’s struggles.  Matt Flynn was signed earlier in the week and led the Packers in a comeback to take the game to overtime, but Green Bay couldn’t do anymore.  Once Rodgers returns the Packers should get back to normal and Detroit should be better than those 4 interception performances.  Chicago is the wild card here, but there isn’t much time left for them to do something about it.