There is absolutely no question that the Chargers played the best game of their season this past Sunday in a 42-28 victory over the once 6-0 Minnesota Vikings (now 6-3).
41 Year-old Doug Flutie was given the start replacing the ineffective Drew Brees and from the very first play the Chargers looked like a totally different team then they had all season. The numbers don't lie, Flutie was 21 for 29, 248 Yards Passing, 2 passing td's and 2 rushing TD's. The Chargers scored on every possession in the first half and didn't look like the worst red zone team in the league by scoring a touchdown each time they were in the red zone, for 5 total.
What Flutie brought to the Chargers that Brees was lacking, was at least the threat of the passing game. Brees, during his struggles, is apprehensive to throw the ball, missing reads and just throwing the ball poorly. With Flutie completing 14 passes on first down only opened up the Chargers primary threat, Ladanian Tomlinson who had a touchdown run of 73 yards, 162 yards total on the ground on just 16 carries and added another 40+ yards recieving.
Some questions still need to be answered like, are the Chargers really a better club then they've shown all season? Or are the Minnesota Vikings, who's defensive problems the past 3 1/2 games is well documented, beginning to collapse with other teams exploiting this obvious weaknesses.
Sidenote: Ed Hochuli, a known anti-Charger referee, went to great lengths to insure a Minnesota touchdown was upheld in the second quarter and greatly expanding the meaning of 'possession' when the Vikings' wide reciever Burleson looked to be out of bounds on a 19 yard td reception. At the time the Chargers were leading 21-7 and the Vikings would have had to settle for a field goal.
Get your Flutie Flakes out again because he's back and should remain the starting quarterback for the Chargers until further notice.
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