SAN DIEGO -- A few thoughts on the San Diego Chargers' 22-10 loss Sunday to the Denver Broncos in this Week 15 contest at Qualcomm Stadium:
What it means: At 8-6, the Chargers fall a game back in the AFC wild-card hunt with two tough road contests remaining against the San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs. With the win, the Broncos (11-3) clinched their fourth straight AFC West title.
Red zone warriors: Once again, San Diego's defense kept the game close, holding the Broncos to field goals three times in the first half. Heading into Sunday's contest, the Broncos were No. 2 in the NFL with 67.3 percent conversions for touchdowns inside the 20-yard line.
Stock watch: Up: Melvin Ingram had another strong game defensively. He finished with a strip sack on Peyton Manning and had another sack waved off because of a defensive holding penalty on Jahleel Addae. Ingram finished with four tackles and a sack.
Offense sputters: San Diego finished with 92 total yards in the first half, performing poorly for a second straight game. The Chargers' offense managed just seven points in a 23-14 loss to the New England Patriots a week ago and could muster just 10 against the Broncos. San Diego has scored just two touchdowns on offense in the past eight quarters. San Diego's offense needs to get on track for this team to make another playoff push.
Game ball: Antonio Gates made history, joining New England's Rob Gronkowski as the only tight ends in NFL history with four or more 10-touchdown seasons. Gates grabbed his 10th touchdown catch of 2014 on a 5-yard in-route from Philip Rivers in the fourth quarter. Gates finished with six receptions for 54 yards.
What's next: The Chargers will travel to the Bay Area to face the San Francisco 49ers in a nationally televised contest at 8:15 p.m. ET Saturday at Levi's Stadium.
