Good morning to everyone but especially to...
THE LOS ANGELES CHARGERS
The Chargers are playoff-bound. I'm happy to see it. The rest of the AFC, if I had to guess, is not.
Behind a stout defense and a pair of Austin Ekeler touchdowns, the Chargers officially punched their postseason ticket as a Wild Card team with a 20-3 win over the Colts.
The Chargers' defense had seven sacks -- its most in a game since 2016 -- picked off Nick Foles thrice and held the Colts' offense to 0-for-10 on 3rd down. The Colts' offense is awful, but that kind of defensive effort is still impressive.Ekeler had 79 yards from scrimmage and two scores on the ground. He's up to an NFL-leading 16 touchdowns scored this year. Keenan Allen added 11 catches for 104 yards.This will be Justin Herbert's first postseason, barring injury. He'll be the youngest quarterback to start a playoff game in Chargers history.
Yes, the Chargers have been up-and-down all year. Their running game is inconsistent at best and nonexistent at worst. The defense has been better of late, but it has had its struggles. Having said that, this team might be the most dangerous of any Wild Card team.
Herbert can (and often does) put the team on his back, and with Keenan Allen and Mike Williams healthy, he's even more dangerous. Ekeler can do it all. Both the offensive and defensive lines could get a Pro Bowler back in Rashawn Slater and Joey Bosa.
This is a team that went toe-to-toe with the Chiefs twice and the 49ers once and defeated the Dolphins. The amount of high-end talent all over the roster makes this a team no one will want to see in the postseason.
Honorable mentions
And not such a good morning for...
NATHANIEL HACKETT AND THE DENVER BRONCOS
Nathaniel Hackett's disastrous time with the Broncos has come to an end. Denver fired Hackett on Monday just 15 games into his tenure with the team and immediately following a 51-14 Christmas Day dismantling at the hands of the Rams.
Senior assistant Jerry Rosburg -- brought in to help Hackett with clock management -- will be the interim head coach. Hackett finishes with a 4-11 record and becomes just the fifth coach since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger to not make it through his first season, joining...
Urban Meyer (2021 Jaguars) -- After creating a circus on and off the field, Meyer got the boot after going 2-11.Bobby Petrino (2007 Falcons) -- With Michael Vick imprisoned shortly before the season, the Falcons relied on a combination of Joey Harrington, Chris Redman and Byron Leftwich at quarterback. Petrino took the University of Arkansas job a day after saying he'd see it through with the Falcons. He went 3-10 in Atlanta.Pete McCulley (1978 49ers) -- McCulley went 1-8 before getting fired. The next 49ers coach ended up sticking, though. His name was Bill Walsh.Lou Holtz (1976 Jets) -- In his lone foray out of college football, Holtz spent 13 games with New York, going 3-10 and resigning with one game left in the season.It's been bad in Denver this year. More embarrassing moments were on full display Sunday, when backup quarterback Brett Rypien and offensive lineman Graham Glasgow got into it on the sideline late. And let's not forget that Russell Wilson has been awful. Only Zach Wilson has a worse completion percentage, and only Justin Fields has a higher sack rate.
It's no exaggeration to say the Broncos have been the biggest disappointments in the NFL this season. Among several issues for Hackett and Denver...
The Broncos are the most-penalized team in the NFL.The Broncos are 3-8 in one-score games. The eight one-score losses are tied for most in the NFL.The Broncos currently have 27 players on IR, second-most in the NFL. That includes starters such as Garret Bolles, Javonte Williams and Lloyd Cushenberry, among others.This will mark the Broncos' seventh straight missed postseason since winning Super Bowl 50 and their fifth coach over that time. Each of the last three -- Hackett, Vic Fangio and Vance Joseph -- were first-time head coaches. So our Jordan Dajani has five potential replacements, headlined by one former Super Bowl winner.
