The Chargers are still serving up mediocre football, if that, but halfway through their season, here's the bottom-line truth that matters most to Philip Rivers and mates:
They still have a shot at the AFC West title, in good part because it's the AFC West.
It's not a very good shot, but the 17-16 victory Sunday against the Bears added life to Rivers' flat-lining quest for his first West title since 2009.
When the Bears missed a field-goal try of 41 yards as time ran out at Soldier Field, the Chargers left Chicago's Soldier Field with a 3-5 record and behind them a losing streak buried at three games.
Normally, a 3-5 team isn't a threat in a divisional race, but a closer look at Chargers rivals reveals some opportunity ahead, and you can be sure that Rivers will tell teammates he's been part of bigger comebacks.
Start with the AFC West-leading Chiefs, who took a 5-2 record into Sunday night's game.
Lately, injuries have hit hard, headed by 2018 league MVP Patrick Mahomes dislocating a kneecap and not playing Sunday. It's possible Mahomes misses more games. The knee could require surgery at some point, said former Chargers physician David Chao.
Put another way, while Rivers' projected availability represents the closest thing to certainty in the AFC at quarterback, the Chiefs may not have a full-speed Mahomes again this year.
The Raiders (3-4) are the West's only improved team, but suffered a large blow Sunday when Rodney Hudson, a very good center, was carted off in their loss at Houston.
In last place are the Broncos (2-6), who traded their best receiver for draft picks last week. They could deal their best cornerback before Tuesday's trade deadline.
So for Rivers and Co., some good things are happening.
And that includes the football not going between the uprights, a thread to all their victories.
It happened to their opponent three times in the Week 1 victory against the Colts, twice more in the first half of the Week 4 win at Miami and twice Sunday as the Bears' Eddy Pineiro missed from 33 and then from 41, both in pleasant Chicago weather.
It's a welcomed gift, too, when the opposing quarterback is below average, which has described the Bears' Mitchell Trubisky's play for much of this season.
In fairness, Trubisky directed the final drive that put his kicker in position to win the game. But, earlier in the half, he had an unforced fumble that led to a go-ahead touchdown and an overthrow on a well-designed play that could've gone for a touchdown. The limitations of Trubisky, in his 32nd career start, were evident in Chicago getting no touchdowns from four first-half drives into the red zone.
Rivers won the quarterback duel Sunday (even with a first-half interception that the Bears turned into three points).
He made a smartly aggressive deep throw that Mike Williams, a contributor to the interception, went up and snagged. The 43-yard gain led to Melvin Gordon rushing 19 yards for a touchdown, his first in the four games since his comeback from contractual holdout.
Rivers threw two accurate passes into the end zone that were dropped, one by Williams, one by Keenan Allen.
The game's best performer?
A defensive end not name Khalil Mack.
Joey Bosa had two sacks and other big plays. Bosa, in his fourth NFL season, showed again he's improved at both reading offenses and maintaining good form through heavy workloads.
Bosa, 24, could be headed to a monster contract extension, though given the lengthy stalemate between Team Bosa and Team Spanos in 2016, one wonders if the Chargers will be the team to provide it.
On the field, next for the Chargers is a visit from the Packers that will launch the season's second half.
The trade deadline, meantime, raises the question of sell or buy.
Finding Rivers a third receiver, preferably one with deep speed, could make sense.
But a person could go broke betting on Team Spanos to trade draft picks.
