After the Denver Broncos put down the Kansas City Chiefs last week in impressive fashion [2], faith began to creep back into Bronco Nation. But last night that hope was pounded out of the Broncos and their fans, as the San Diego Chargers slapped Denver with a 35-14 beat down on national television. The Broncos looked good in the game's opening drive, moving down the field with ease. But after going up 7-0, the Chargers put up 35 points, and now it looks like the Broncos' season is over (recap via The Associated Press [3]).

The Broncos are now solidly the worst team in the AFC West, one of the worst divisions in the NFL. At 3-7, the Broncos are three games behind [4] the division-leading Chiefs, and it's doubtful things will get much better. ESPN [5] points out that the Broncos are 5-15 since starting the 2009 season 6-0, the first time since 1971-72 that the team has lost 15 games in a 20-game stretch.