A look at another late San Diego loss:
What it means: The Chargers fell to 4-5 and two games behind first-place Denver in the AFC West. The Chargers have now lost four of their past five games.
Is Turner toast? There was heavy speculation that San Diego coach Norv Turner could be fired if the Chargers lost Nov. 1 to Kansas City. However, the Chargers easily won. I’m not sure where San Diego ownership is on Turner right now. Yes, his squad made mistakes at Tampa Bay, but the Buccaneers are a competitive team. This wasn’t a shameful loss like the one at Cleveland two weeks ago. If San Diego ownership thinks a change could jump-start the Chargers in the final seven weeks, perhaps we will see a change. At the very least, it should be on our radar.
Another bad second half: San Diego led 21-17 at halftime. Yet the Buccaneers outscored the Chargers 17-3 in the second half. Blowing leads has become a troubling trend for this team.
Rivers falters: San Diego quarterback Philip Rivers was terrific in the first half. But Rivers threw an interception that was returned for a touchdown in the second half. In the end, Rivers was good as he completed 29 of 37 passes for 337 yards and two interceptions. But his miscues always seem to be critical.
Alexander looks like a keeper: On a day the Chargers faced former No. 1 receiver Vincent Jackson, newly signed Danario Alexander continued to look good. He made his first start and he had five catches for 134 yards, including one for an 80-yard touchdown,
What’s next: The Chargers play at Denver next Sunday. If the Broncos win, this division race will be very close to being over. The two teams met Oct. 14, when the Chargers saw a 24-0 lead at halftime turn into a 35-24 loss. They haven’t been the same since.