With the Chargers losing to the Broncos and falling three games plus a tiebreaker behind the Broncos with six games to play, the chances of an AFC West crown have fallen into the gulf residing between “slim” and “none.”
But the postseason remains a possibility, given that both the Colts and the Steelers lost on Sunday, dropping them to 6-4, chased by the 5-5 Bengals and a quintet of 4-6 teams.
If the Chargers don’t pull it off, a house cleaning is coming, with both G.M. A.J. Smith and coach Norv Turner getting the broom-and-dustpan treatment. So how can the General Manager specifically manage to save his job, especially at a time when Kevin Acee of U-T San Diego is specifically blaming Smith for the team’s current predicament?
Easy. He can fire Turner now.
We’re not saying it will happen. Instead, it could -- and probably should -- happen.
By giving the reins to fiery special-teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia, the Chargers could wake up. There’s no guarantee they will. But they could.
They also could have an easier time selling tickets at Qualcomm Stadium, where they’ll play four of their final six games and where they had trouble moving merchandise even while winning three of their first four.
That’s right. The Chargers have gone from a 3-1 start to a 1-5 free fall. So something needs to change. And that change could be coming, soon.