For the second time in five days, the Los Angeles Chargers routed their competition en route to a huge win. While the Dallas Cowboys offered more of a struggle than the Nathan Peterman-led Buffalo Bills, it still wasn’t a competitive game with a final score of 28-6.

The Chargers are one of the hottest teams in football, going 5-2 since their dismal 0-4 start. Led by veteran quarterback Phillip Rivers, who has one of the most potent passing offenses in the league at his disposal, this team looks capable of making a playoff push.

Week 12 Los Angeles Chargers Takeaways

Cowboys Offensive Struggles Continue

While this score might not surprise some, as Dallas had lost two in a row before entering this game, the Cowboys did match up well against the Chargers. Their offense is built around running the ball. Their massive offensive line boasts three of the best offensive linemen in the NFL (Travis Frederick, Zack Martin, and Tyron Smith), and even without their All-Pro running back Ezekiel Elliot, many expected the Cowboys to run well against a Chargers defense ranked 31st against the run.

However, this Cowboys offense clearly misses its best player in Elliot. The Cowboys running backs did have some success, but didn’t make a significant impact on the game (Alfred Morris ran for 36 yards, Rod Smith for 41 and one touchdown.)

The Cowboys performed even worse when trying to pass. Quarterback Dak Prescott, the 2016 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, looked lost against the Chargers defense, ranked a solid eighth against the pass. While they only recorded two sacks, the Chargers strong pass-rush consistently put pressure on Prescott. The second-year quarterback struggled, throwing two crucial interceptions. One of the interceptions was made by rookie defensive back Desmond King, the first interception in his career. King did not waste his opportunity as he returned the interception 90 yards for a touchdown. After that play, the Cowboys seemed to give up hope.

Chargers Offense Surges

After looking very pedestrian for the first half of the season, the Chargers offense has exploded in the past two games. A week removed from racking up 54 points at home against the Bills, the Chargers were able to score 28 against the Cowboys on the road.

Rivers’ performance today (27 completions for 434 yards and three touchdowns) is not only his best performance this season, but one of the best passing performances of any quarterback this year.

Of course, Rivers did not work alone. Both tight end Hunter Henry and wide receivers Tyrell Williams and Keenan Allen caught touchdowns. Allen was particularly impressive today. His 172 yards receiving puts his total in the last two games above 300 yards. Late in the third quarter, Rivers hit Allen on a crossing route for a first down. Allen was apparently unsatisfied with simply converting the first down. He promptly broke four tackles and brought the ball 42 yards to the end zone. It vies with the King interception for best play of the game.

Playoff Picture

The AFC, and the AFC West in particular, appears wide open. The once dominant Kansas City Chiefs (6-4) have struggled lately, and their loss in Week 11 to the New York Giants (2-8) was a sign of how far they’ve fallen. The Oakland Raiders (4-5) began the season as the media darlings, and were often named the team to beat in the AFC, despite the New England Patriots (7-2) Super Bowl win. While they looked the part at the beginning of the season going 2-0, they have played uninspired football since. The Denver Broncos (3-7) are one of the worst teams in the league despite their great defense.

There are also a bevy of teams competing for wild card spots. None of those teams possess more than six wins so far this season.

The Chargers absolutely have the talent to take control of one of the wild card spots. They could possibly snag the division. Now, after two huge wins, they also possess the momentum.

The Chargers are still two games back from the Chiefs in the division, so they still have work to do. However, this team is getting hot at the right time. They look every bit the part of an NFL playoff team.

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