The Oakland Raiders dominated the AFC West in the 1970s because of Ken Stabler. The Denver Broncos dominated the West in the 1980s and 1990s because of John Elway, and the San Diego Chargers have been dominant this decade because of LaDainian Tomlinson.
If you have the best player in any division, you generally have the best team.
The greatness of Tomlinson has allowed the Chargers to win the AFC West the past two seasons and four of the past five years. He has won two NFL rushing titles and gone to four Pro Bowls in that span.
Tomlinson has personally been the difference between the Broncos and Chargers during that stretch. Ever since blitzing them for 220 yards and three touchdowns in a 2002 game, he has owned the Broncos.
In the winner-take-all season finale in 2008, Tomlinson rushed for 96 yards and three touchdowns in a 52-21 romp. That capped a four-game comeback over the final four weeks of the season that gave the Chargers the AFC West with an 8-8 record. The Broncos finished out of the playoffs, also with an 8-8 mark.
Tomlinson has had a four-touchdown game against the Broncos, another three-touchdown game and a pair of two-touchdown games in the past five years. In all, he has scored 16 touchdowns against the Broncos in those 10 games. He has rushed for 100 yards four times against them and been in the 90s on two other occasions.
The Broncos visit the Chargers on Monday night and, for the first time in a long time, Tomlinson will not be the offensive focal point. Historically, running backs hit the wall at the age of 30, and Tomlinson turned 30 this year.
Tomlinson is showing the wear and tear of 2,657 carries this decade. He suffered a sprained ankle in the season opener at Oakland and missed the next two games. That ended his streak of 74 consecutive regular-season starts — an amazing run of durability given his workload.
In the two games Tomlinson has played this season, he has rushed for only 70 yards and scored one touchdown. The Chargers have moved on as a team and have shifted the focus from the ground to the air with the development of quarterback Philip Rivers.
San Diego ranked 20th in the NFL in rushing last season but seventh in passing. The gap has widened this season. The Chargers rank last in the NFL in rushing and second in passing. San Diego is no longer counting on that weekly 100 yards and two touchdowns from Tomlinson.
The Broncos have been in chase mode the entire decade. Denver won the only division title San Diego did not win these past five years and finished second to the Chargers three other times. But the Broncos bring a 5-0 record and a 2½-game lead over the 2-2 Chargers to San Diego.
It's as close to a must game for the Chargers as a team can play in October — and, for the first time in a long time, San Diego will not be asking Tomlinson to deliver the victory. This offense, and this team, now belongs to Rivers.
— Rick Gosselin,
The Dallas Morning News
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