Chargers appear playoff-bound, but loss to Tampa could mean they’re bound for disaster

If December is the time that the NFL’s elite teams start to separate from the pack, the Chargers suddenly find themselves enveloped in a choking cloud of dust.

Their 40-17 defeat to Tampa Bay on Sunday was their worst home loss in more than two years and reminded them they have miles to go before making any kind of noise in the postseason.

Although it sounds strange to include postseason and Chargers in the same sentence, that’s the way the arrows are pointing. Never mind that their possessions in the second half ended: punt, punt, interception, turnover on downs, turnover on downs, fumble. Or that Baker Mayfield surgically dissected their defense with four touchdown passes.

Sure, there are three weeks left in the regular season, and of course there are wacky scenarios that could send teams in different directions. But right now, the Chargers might be lashed to a log, helplessly bobbing toward a Buffalo buzz saw.

Thursday night’s home game against Denver is shaping up to be a critical one to determine playoff seeding. The winner will be on track for an AFC wild-card game at Pittsburgh — hey, it’s early but still fun to ponder the postseason possibilities — and the loser will be pointed toward Buffalo.

That could be ugly, especially if the Bills look the way they did Sunday, when they knocked off the mighty Lions in Detroit, 48-42.

Bills quarterback Josh Allen threw for two touchdowns and ran for two more in that game, holding off a furious comeback attempt by Jared Goff and the Lions, who scored three touchdowns in the fourth quarter. It was just the kind of thrilling football the league likes to see.

As for what was happening under the SoFi Stadium roof? Well, it was thrilling for the Buccaneers, and withering for the Chargers, who meandered around their locker room afterward like “Zombieland” extras.

The Chargers failed to convert any of their six third downs or either of their fourth-down attempts. And the team determined to establish a relentless ground game finished with 32 yards rushing.

Justin Herbert was under constant pressure, sacked three times and hit 10 more.

“I just have to do a better job of getting the ball out quickly,” said Herbert, already limited by a gimpy ankle.

The Buccaneers, meanwhile, had more than double the yards (506 to 206), gained 223 on the ground, and held the ball for nearly 14 minutes longer.

“Surprising isn’t the word,” Chargers defensive lineman Morgan Fox said of the torching. “It pisses us off. We’re irritated. We’re upset. But we know we’ve got to fix it. We’re professionals, and our standard is a lot higher than what we put on film today.”

There’s not the luxury of time to rewatch that footage with the Broncos on tap in four days. Massage tables were set up in the training room so creaking Chargers could roll right into treatment that they otherwise would begin Monday.

The Chargers, who were coming off a defeat at Kansas City, have lost back-to-back games for the second time this season. When they fell to Pittsburgh and the Chiefs in September, the Chargers bounced back with a victory at Denver.

So they’re in a similar situation, only these Broncos are a more cohesive and capable opponent. They have won four in a row, including a 31-13 throttling of Indianapolis on Sunday, and have a promising young leader in rookie quarterback Bo Nix.

Win or lose, the Chargers remain on track for the postseason. Cincinnati has an outside chance of making a stirring playoff run, but the most likely scenario has Kansas City, Denver and the Chargers all making it from the AFC West.

Again, playoff talk might be folly for a team coming off a 23-point loss at home and unceremoniously blanked in the second half, but that’s the way the season is unfurling.

For some Chargers, four days is too long to wait.

“There couldn’t be a better moment to get back on the field and against a division opponent,” safety Tony Jefferson said. “Just to get this taste out of our mouth.”