Nuetral zone infractions and third down conversions killed the Chargers today

The San Diego Chargers hung around in the fourth quarter, but the damage was already done.  The Broncos drew 5 neutral zone infractions on the Chargers today, which was the most drawn by a team in a single game since 2001.

Not only did that kill some drives, the Chargers were 1-6 on third down in the first half. They converted an NFL-best 49% of third downs during the regular season, and were 6-12 in their Week 15 over the Broncos.

While it was a great season for Philip Rivers and the Chargers, it was ended by a hard fought battle.  The last time the Chargers were shut out in the first half of a playoff game was the 2007 wild card game against the Titans. They were down 6-0 at halftime and won 17-6.

While the Chargers could lose Ken Whisenhunt as their offensive coordinator, they could have a very solid replacement in Frank Reich who is currently the quarterbacks coach.