Rivers’ stellar December record makes Chargers live home ‘dogs

Appearances can be deceiving, but it appears Philip Rivers has returned to normal, which means he's performing as a high-quality NFL quarterback, and the San Diego Chargers have set aside their clumsy clown routine.

No team that lost six consecutive games should be in the playoff hunt at this point in the season, just as no team coached by Norv Turner should be taken too seriously.

Still, the Chargers (6-7) are hanging around on the outskirts of the hunt, and they are no longer a punch line.

At least for now.

Rivers has mastered taking the snap from center and stopped throwing interceptions. San Diego's running attack has improved, and its defense has been solidified. But Turner still is a goner.

Rumors from credible sources suggest Jon Gruden is serious about leaving the ESPN booth and coaching the Chargers next season. Getting Gruden would help general manager A.J. Smith save his job.

Why would Gruden consider San Diego? He is enamored with Rivers. Gruden sounds like a public relations assistant for most of the league's quarterbacks, either going overboard to dish out praise or serving as an on-call apologist, but he's especially crazy about Rivers.

In the Chargers' past three games, Rivers has passed for seven touchdowns with no interceptions, so no apologies have been needed. For the season, he's putting up more respectable numbers with 3,745 yards passing, 22 touchdowns and 17 picks.

Picking out the most impressive stat is simple: San Diego is 22-2 in December with Rivers as the starter. It's an amazing trend. To paraphrase Winston Churchill, the Chargers are a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma, yet in the final month of the regular season, they are incredibly reliable.

It all might be a mirage this season, however. By beating up on Jacksonville and Buffalo the past two weeks, what did the Chargers accomplish? They still sit two games behind Tim Tebow's Denver Broncos in the AFC West.

Ryan Mathews has piled up three straight 100-yard rushing games for San Diego, and Rivers is back in rhythm with targets Antonio Gates, Malcom Floyd and Vincent Jackson. We're about to find out if the Chargers' mini-resurgence is legitimate.

The Baltimore Ravens will present a much tougher test Sunday. Baltimore's run defense ranks No. 2 in the league, and running back Ray Rice leads the NFL with 1,622 yards from scrimmage.

But on the road, the Ravens and quarterback Joe Flacco are also a riddle, going 3-3 with losses at Jacksonville, Seattle and Tennessee.

I'll hesitantly take the Chargers as 2½-point home underdogs, mostly because of Rivers' impeccable record in December.

Four more plays for Week 15 (home team in CAPS):

■ Panthers (+6½) over TEXANS: On a hot run, Houston has won and covered seven straight and just clinched its first AFC South title. So this could be a bet-against spot with the Texans, who will be without star receiver Andre Johnson and defensive coordinator Wade Phillips. Rookie quarterback Cam Newton has kept Carolina in every game but one, and he won the past two on the road.

■ Patriots (-7) over BRONCOS: With a fourth-quarter lead, New England coach Bill Belichick won't put his defense in a soft zone and allow Tebow to stage another unlikely comeback. The Denver defense has faced weak quarterbacks -- Caleb Hanie and Christian Ponder -- in recent weeks. Tom Brady will be out to prove a point.

■ Jets (+3) over EAGLES: Don't be fooled by Philadelphia's 26-10 victory at Miami. Michael Vick, still bothered by sore ribs, completed just 15 of 30 passes. The Eagles (5-8) are not improving, and they are 1-5 against the spread at home. The Jets have scored 99 points during their three-game winning streak.

■ 49ERS (-3) over Steelers: If quarterback Ben Roethlisberger can't go with a sprained left ankle, Pittsburgh will start Charlie Batch. I expect Roethlisberger to play. But the Steelers' defense will miss suspended linebacker James Harrison. San Francisco is 6-0-1 ATS at home under coach Jim Harbaugh.

Last week: 3-2 against the spread

Season: 35-31-4

Las Vegas Review-Journal sports betting columnist Matt Youmans can be reached at 702-387-2907 or myoumans@reviewjournal.com.