Case of the Mondays: Chargers Embarrassed at Home by Raiders

by Ricky Dimon - 10/26/2015

San Diego Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers

The Chargers appeared to be tired of losing close games. But instead of winning, they got thoroughly embarrassed in Week 7. On the heels of a 24-20 loss to Pittsburgh and a 27-20 setback against Green Bay, San Diego entertained NFC West rival Oakland on Sunday and managed to trail 37-6 after three quarters en route to a closer-than-it-really-was 37-29 final. Hey, at least Philip Rivers and company didn't blow a fourth-quarter lead and get beat on a blocked field goal return for a touchdown on the last play of the game. That, of course, was the fate suffered by Florida State on Saturday night.

All odds provided by BetOnline Sportsbook.

San Diego Chargers . Rivers and his wife are soon to welcome their eighth child, so it's safe to say San Diego's signal-caller is not getting much sleep these days and is about to get even less. And that's not entirely because of baby No. 8-Rivers must be tossing and turning over what has befallen the Chargers. If losses to the Steelers and Packers put them in a deeper division hole, they are now all but out of it after falling to 2-5. Even with the Raiders on an apparent ascent to relevancy, it's hard to see how anyone can recover from getting outscored by them 37-6 in the span of three quarters. Oakland is a +1 home underdog against the Jets in Week 8.

Florida State . It wasn't quite the "Kick 6" of Auburn vs. Alabama fame in 2013, and it wasn't quite the Miracle at Michigan from one week earlier. But what transpired on Saturday night between Georgia Tech and visiting Florida State was some sort of combination of the two. This thriller had National Championship implications for only one of the participants (whereas the pair of aforementioned games where huge for both teams), but the Yellow Jackets couldn't care less about that right now. They pulled off a stunning upset by blocking a field goal and returning it 78 yards for a touchdown on the final play. The Seminoles, who trailed for zero seconds in the entire game, did not score a single point in the second half of their 22-16 loss. Georgia Tech is a -3.5 favorite at Virginia on Saturday.

Al Golden . Add Golden to the growing list of FBS head coaches who have gotten the boot or left in the middle of the season. Miami really had no choice after suffering its worst loss in program history on a Saturday, a 58-0 humiliation at home against Clemson. The Hurricanes trailed 42-0 at halftime before the Tigers started taking it easy. Golden's squad mustered up a mere six first downs, gave up 416 rushing yards, and got outgained 567-146. You know when an athletic director begins a statement with things like "led our program through some very difficult times," "has done so with class, integrity…," "the classroom," and "the community," you know it's not going to end well. And it didn't for Golden, who was relieved of his duties on Sunday-effective immediately. Clemson is a -10.5 road favorite over N.C. State this week.

Steve Kerr . The Warriors' head coach will not be on the sideline when his team's 2015-16 campaign begins at home against New Orleans on Tuesday. Kerr underwent back surgery this offseason and has been absent since the start of training camp. He was never expected to be ready for the start of the regular season, but the team made it official with an announcement on Saturday. Kerr, who guided Golden State to the NBA Championship in his first season at the helm, will at least be present for Tuesday's banner-raising ceremony. Luke Walton is the Warriors' interim head coach in Kerr's absence. They are a +500 third choice to win the NBA title.

Chicago Cubs . 1908. 1945. The Cubs and their fans will have to hear about those years for at least one more season, as the 2015 club could not erase the franchise's demons. It was still a memorable campaign for Chicago, which snagged the National League's final playoff spot, won the wild card game at Pittsburgh, and took out St. Louis in the first round. But the NLCS basically ended bore it even really started, as the Mets abused the lovable losers in four straight games by a total score of 21-8. New York is -120 favorite over Kansas City to win the World Series.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. Much to the chagrin of NASCAR fans, Earnhardt is not one of the final eight contenders for the Sprint Cup title. The field was narrowed down on Sunday, when Junior absolutely had to win at Talladega in order to advance to the next round. The No. 88 car came close, but it was doomed by a green-white-checkered finish brought on by a caution flag with several laps still remaining while running in second place. Thus Earnhardt's chances of passing Joey Logano came to an end, as did his championship hopes. Earnhardt led a race-high 61 laps before the controversial end sent Talladega's fans into a chorus of boos.

Chelsea . Not one, not two, not three…not seven, not eight…not 14…. No, you have to go down 15 notches on the table to find Chelsea in the current English Premier League standings. The defending champions dropped to a shocking 3-5-2 for the 2015-16 campaign following a 2-1 loss to West Ham on Saturday. Included on the list-and it's a long one-of teams leading Chelsea in the EPL are Stoke City, Watford, Swansea City, and Southampton. The Blues scored one goal in two matches last week, having previously tied Dynamo Kiev 0-0 in a Champions League group-stage showdown last Wednesday. Manchester City is a -110 favorite to win the Premier League title.

Start:	November 23, 2024 @ 3:30 PM
Expert:	Scott Spreitzer
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