The San Diego Chargers (10-3) have not accomplished anything yet. However, with a 20-17 victory over the Dallas Cowboys (8-5), the Chargers have now won eight games in a row and stand on the doorstep of the playoffs and their fourth consecutive AFC West Championship. Additionally, the Chargers could claim the second seed in the playoffs as early as this week.

For the second week in a row, the Chargers had to overcome an early deficit. The Cowboys started the game with excellent field position when Felix Jones returned the opening kickoff 41 yards to the Dallas 46-yard line.

Chargers' victory over the Cowboys drives them one step

closer to the playoffs.

^{Photo courtesy of Chargers.com}

Head Coach Wade Philips showed early on that there was a sense of urgency for the Cowboys when he elected to attempt a 4^th and 4 conversion from the Chargers 35-yard line. Philips’ gamble paid off as Tony Romo found Marion Barber for a 19-yard completion. However, Dallas would not get the ball any closer and settled for a Nick Folk 31-yard field goal, giving Dallas a 3-0 lead.

Philip Rivers came out passing and found Malcolm Floyd for a 24-yard pass on 3^rd and 12 from the Chargers 14-yard line. On the next play, Rivers found Kris Wilson for 21 more yards. A few plays later, Gerald Sensabaugh committed a 38-yard pass interference penalty on Floyd, setting the Chargers up with 1^st and goal on the 2-yard line. LaDainian Tomlinson capped off the drive off with a 1-yard run into the end zone. This gives Tomlinson his tenth touchdown of the season, extending his NFL record of nine consecutive seasons of at least reaching that mark, and it gave the Chargers a 7-3 lead.

On the Chargers next drive, Nate Kaeding converted a 29-yard field goal, bringing the Chargers lead to 10-3 early in the second quarter.

Although the game was not decided until late in the fourth quarter, it was the sequence of events at the end of the first half that set the tone for whom would ultimately win the game.

On the Cowboys drive following the Chargers field goal, Romo only threw the ball one time, and it was incomplete. Nonetheless, they were very successful at moving the ball down the field via handing the ball off to Jones and Barber, eventually setting up a 1st and goal on the Chargers 4-yard line.

After the game, Norv Turner described the Chargers defensive effort that followed: “It is a collective group that has the mindset that we are going to stop them, but it is individuals who need to step up and make a play.”

In this case, the individual that stepped up was Brandon Siler, who assisted on stopping Barber on three consecutive plays on the 1-yard line for no gain. Siler said, “We emphasize trying to stop you.”

Rivers got the ball back with just 2:13 to go in the half. Unfortunately, Rivers threw his first interception in five games. This gave Dallas another opportunity to score with the ball on their 27-yard line and 1:46 to go in the half.

The Chargers defense held again, and Folk missed a 42-yard field goal, allowing the Chargers to escape into halftime with a 10-3 lead.

Dallas would eventually tie the game at 10-10 when Romo found Miles Austin for a 6-yard touchdown on the last play of the third quarter.

On the Chargers next drive, the game came to a halt for several minutes when DeMarcus Ware collided head first into the hip of Brandyn Dombrowski. Ware was immobilized and carted off the field to receive medical evaluation at a nearby hospital. Fortunately, early reports are positive and indicate that he only suffered a sprained neck with no spinal damage.

Following the injury timeout, Rivers connected with Vincent Jackson for a 39-yard gain. On the next play, Rivers found Antonio Gates for a 14-yard touchdown. The reception gave Gates 44 receiving yards on the day, putting him over 1,000 yards a season for the second time in his career. It also recaptured the lead for the Chargers at 17-10.

With 1:56 to go in the game, Kaeding gave the Chargers a two-score cushion by making a crucial 34-yard field goal, bringing the score to 20-10.

Dallas had no timeouts when they got the ball back, and the Chargers went into a prevent defense. Romo was able to drive the Cowboys down the field, but by the time he found Patrick Crayton for a 9-yard touchdown, there was only 0:02 to go in the game.

Gates then made the victory official by recovering an onside kick.

For the Cowboys, the loss means they are no longer in first place, and their playoff future is very much in question. On the other hand, the Chargers' playoff hopes are much brighter.

An addition to the Chargers victory, the Denver Broncos (8-5) lost to the Indianapolis Colts (13-0). With the Colts win, the Chargers now have a two-game lead over Denver in the AFC West while the Colts clinched the first seed in the playoffs for the AFC.

The Chargers are in the driver’s seat to claim the second seed, which would entitle them to a first-round bye and to host a home game in the second round of the playoffs.

The Chargers hopes for the second seed were greatly improved on Sunday when the leaders of the AFC North Cincinnati Bengles (9-4) lost. The Chargers now have a one-game lead over the Bengles. It also means that if the Chargers beat the Bengals this coming Sunday, the Bengals will be eliminated from contention for the second seed.

The AFC East leading New England Patriots (9-5) are also in the hunt for the second seed as they trail the Chargers by two games.

With all of this in mind, below are some Chargers' playoff scenarios to watch going into this week of play:

Scenario for the Chargers to clinch the second seed in the playoffs this week:

1. Chargers win over the Bengles combined with losses by the Broncos and the Patriots.

Scenarios for the Chargers to clinch the AFC West Championship:

1. A Broncos loss or tie to either the Oakland Raiders (4-9) or the Kansas City Chiefs (3-10).
2. Any Chargers win, combined with a Broncos loss or tie.
3. Any two Chargers wins.
4. A Chargers win over the Washington Redskins (4-9) on the last game of the season. (Note: This would give the Chargers the tiebreaker over the Broncos in common opponent games.)

Scenarios for the Chargers to clinch a playoff spot as at least a wild card:

1. Any Chargers win.
2. Each of the AFC 7-6 teams losing or tying one of their remaining games: Baltimore Ravens, New York Jets, Jacksonville Jaguars, Miami Dolphins.