The 2014 San Diego Chargers season has existed in two universes. The first was marked by a triumphant, division-leading record of 5-1, during which time the Chargers won five games in a row after falling to the Arizona Cardinals in Week 1.In the second universe, the Chargers skidded to 5-4 heading into the Week 10 bye after dropping three games in a row, including two important division contests against theKansas City Chiefs and Denver Broncos.But thanks to a well-timed bye week, the Chargers have won their last two and are once again looking like a team that can compete for the AFC championship...so long as those worrisome flaws that reared their heads during their three-game skid remain at bay.In San Diego's final loss before the bye week, it was shut out by the Miami Dolphins 37-0the first shutout against the team since 1999.The loss capped off a concerning string of performances for Philip Rivers, whose offensive averages through the first six weeks of the season are almost unrecognizable when held up against his three pre-bye losses.Rivers' passer rating of 31.0 against Miami was the third lowest of his career and his worst since 2007.The skid was, needless to say, extremely worrisome when held against the Chargers' playoff campaign. As Matt Calkins of UTSanDiego.com wrote at the time, what was most concerning was that "the most reliable component of this team completely disappeared against the Dolphins. It's clear that you can't count on San Diego to stop anybody, but you could at least count on it to score, right'"A Chargers team that can't score points is not going to beat out the Broncos for the division lead or possibly even earn a wild card.In his last two wins, however, Rivers has, if not returned to form, at least returned to being an efficient quarterback. He has protected the football reasonably well, not losing any fumbles after recording six prior to the bye and throwing one interception to two touchdowns.His output of 291 yards against the Rams was healthier than his 193 yards against the Raiders last week.But what should really help San Diego as it continues into this stretch is the return of Ryan Mathews, who played Week 11 against Oakland after missing seven games. The Chargers finished with 128 rushing yards against the Rams on Sunday, their second most of the season, and 105 came from Mathews, who also had a touchdown.Especially with the loss of Danny Woodhead for the season, from which the Chargers are still reeling, the offense was becoming dangerously one-dimensional.Just how important is the Chargers backfield to the team's offensive success' Rivers has the highest completion percentage among all quarterbacks when using play action, at 80 percent (35 attempts) according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required).Compare that to his completion percentage of 65.2 when not using play action (293 attempts). Rivers isn't using play action as often as his peers this season, but that could very well be correlated with the fact that Woodhead and Mathews both missed significant time; there wasn't a convincing play-action option in the backfield.Mathews' return should continue to create better matchups in the passing game, as defenses are forced to account for him rather than leave both safeties up high to combat Rivers' arm. It will also give Rivers an essential option for quick and short third-down completions.However, the offense still has some ground to make up. It's currently ranked 22nd in the league, which is as much of a surprise as how much the defense has improved in recent weeks.Heading into the game against the Rams, the Chargers had a third-down conversion percentage of 46.04 percent, the third best in the league per TeamRankings.com. But in their last three, which at the time included the games against Oakland, Miami and Denver, the Chargers' third-down conversion rate was 30.56 percent.Certainly the offensive line deserves a heaping of blame here. Pro Football Focus ranks it 31st in the league in pass blocking and 32nd in run blocking, which has made life incredibly difficult for Rivers and his rotating backfield.Against the Rams, San Diego started its fourth center of the season in Chris Watt, after Nick Hardwick, Rich Ohrnbergerand Doug Legurskywere all lost to injuries.Protection of Rivers will be crucial if the Chargers intend to make a playoff push. With the win Sunday, San Diego is now tied with 7-4 Kansas City for second place in the AFC West, for which it can thank Oakland.With Mathews returning at just the right time, the Chargers have a tough AFC slate ahead of them, including the New England Patriots and two division games against the Broncos and Chiefs. But matchups against the Baltimore Ravens and the San Francisco 49ers could be winnable if San Diego can find offensive balance and put Rivers in position to return to his playmaking form.
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