In a quest to keep the vaunted Denver Broncos offense off the scoreboard, the Chargers forgot to put up some points of their own.
They were held out of the end zone until the fourth quarter, falling 22-10 on Sunday in the final regular season game of the year at Qualcomm Stadium.
Philip Rivers threw his second interception in the end zone with two minutes left to seal the Chargers' fate.
The win clinches the AFC West title for Denver (11-3) and deals a severe blow to the Chargers' (8-6) playoff hopes.
Rivers threw for 232 yards, but the pair of interceptions hurt. His five-yard touchdown pass to Antonio Gates early in the fourth quarter was the only time the Bolts found the end zone.
"The grading scale, it's a plus if you win, a minus if you lose," Rivers said. "We just have to do a better job."
Chargers coach Mike McCoy deflected blame from his quarterback.
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"It's everybody," he said. "We gotta play better as an offense, not just one player."
Branden Oliver led an anemic running attack with just 26 yards on 12 carries. As a whole, the team rushed for just 56 yards.
Gates had six catches for 54 yards, including the lone TD for the Chargers.
They were only able to muster 92 yards in the first half and didn't get a first down until two minutes into the second quarter.
Nick Novak missed a pair of crucial field goals, getting one blocked in the second quarter, then banging another off the left upright in the third.
Broncos kicker Connor Barth nailed all five of his attempts, including a 44-yarder with 3:56 left that put the game away for Denver.
Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning was held in check for much of the day, but he managed to throw for 233 yards, including a 28-yard touchdown pass to Demaryius Thomas late in the third quarter.
