NFL San Diego Chargers

San Diego Chargers Are Legitimate Super Bowl Contenders

Brandon Oliver

Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

Headlines Sunday will mostly feature Peyton Manning as he continues to make history. Meanwhile, within that same division, Philip Rivers and the San Diego Chargers are making a serious case to be considered right alongside the Denver Broncos as favorites to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl.

Coming into the year, the regular season seemed like nothing more than a speed bump along the way to a rematch between Manning’s Broncos and the Seattle Seahawks. They’re definitely both very good teams and that could very well remain the most likely scenario. These Chargers are legitimate, though.

Rivers added to his case for MVP with three more touchdowns before the fourth quarter even started. The New York Jets entered the game as the league’s best run defense – only allowing 63 yards per game to opposing offenses. The Chargers more than doubled that average.

Heading into the fourth quarter, the Jets had gained a pathetic 63 total yards on offense.

That defense, combined with the arsenal of weapons at Rivers’ disposal, should be more than enough to compete with the league’s elite. They already beat the Seahawks and appear more than capable of matching explosive offenses with the Broncos. And that’s before you take into account that Keenan Allen has yet to consistently regain the production that made him one of the most successful rookies ever.

The Broncos and Seahawks are definitely still the NFL’s two best teams. However, they now have some company on that top tier as the Chargers finally seem ready to live up to their impressive potential.

Anthony F. Irwin is an NBA, NFL, MLB and NCAA Football contributor for www.Rantsports.com. Follow him on Twitter, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google. Send him an email at .

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