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These Chargers haven’t proven much

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Hate to break it to you, but what you witnessed through the first six weeks of the season hasn’t meant much.

That was not the Chargers showing the world they have reached a Super Bowl-level sphere, it was them playing mostly exhibition games that just so happened to count.

Yes, San Diego is 5-3, and yes, it has had its moments. But you want to know what the Chargers have proven so far this year?

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Not a whole lot.

Perhaps that sounds harsh, but you can’t ignore who the wins have come against and who dealt the defeats. The five-game winning streak that whipped the rest of the league’s neck around appears less impressive every week.

Besides a Seattle team that doesn’t look nearly as good as we thought, that run came against sparring partners -- squads that are a combined 9-25 at this point on the season. Put the Bolts up against a legitimate prize-fighter, and they’ve come out with a broken nose and cauliflower ear.

Thursday night, the Broncos (6-1) beat the Chargers 35-21 while dominating both sides of the ball. Peyton Manning was divine, Philip Rivers was mortal, and for the second game in a row, skepticism outshines optimism.

This isn’t an obituary for the season or a dismissal of the Chargers’ chances. There were key pieces out with injury Thursday, and once they return, this could be a whole new team.

No, this is simply recognizing the fact that San Diego has yet to show they belong in the conversation regarding the NFL’s elite teams. Their accomplishments to this point, weigh about as much as a deflated pigskin.

Where do you want to start? Perhaps Rivers is the most logical place. No doubt that the Chargers’ quarterback is having a Pro Bowl-caliber season, but he has downgraded from majestic to mediocre in the past two games.

After going 17 for 31 with an interception in Sunday’s three-point loss to Kansas City, he threw two more picks against the Broncos while averaging just 6.1 yards per pass. Make no mistake: Without Philip, this very well could be a two-win team, but that NFL MVP talk that pervaded the first six weeks of the season has temporarily gone mute.

Where next? How about the run game? Brandon Oliver’s shiftiness dazzled onlookers through his first three games as a starter -- two of which resulted in 100-plus-yard performances. But when facing a vaunted Denver defense Thursday, he found himself limited to 36 yards on 13 carries.

Then there’s the defense, which may be the most concerning area of all. After leading the NFL in points allowed after Week 4, the Chargers gave up 28 points to Oakland, 23 to Kansas City, and 35 to Denver.

Perhaps some of this was to expected Thursday given how cornerback Brandon Flowers was out and fellow corner Jason Verrett was limited with a shoulder injury. But at this point, opponents’ ability to move the ball at will looks less like a bad stretch and more of an omen of what’s to come.

After the game, the Chargers downplayed the notion that they have yet to show they can hang with the big boys.

Coach Mike McCoy said that, in the NFL, records are irrelevant -- noting how the Bolts were written off when they were 5-7 last year before reeling off five straight wins.

Receiver Malcom Floyd added that “there are just a few plays that separate us” from beating the better teams, and when you consider the one-point loss to Arizona (5-1) the three-point loss to Kansas City (3-3) and all the turnovers the Chargers just missed Thursday, it’s hard to disagree.

Still, the reality is that, in order to avoid falling to 5-4 on Nov. 2, the Chargers have to win in Miami for the first time in 33 years.

That said, it’s not panic time yet in San Diego. This team still has one of the best quarterbacks in football, and awaits the return of several impact players that could completely transform the defense. But the Bolts’ capacity to beat the best remains an unanswered question.

There’s still plenty of season left for this team. The Chargers hope that’s a good thing.

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