SAN DIEGO -- What do the San Diego Chargers and Christmas bells have in common?
They'll both be put away by early January.
The Chargers' four-year playoff run came to a frigid, shocking end Sunday when they were routed by the lowly Cincinnati Bengals, 34-20. That leaves just a meaningless season finale at Denver for a team that Norv Turner thought could have been the best in his four seasons as coach.
Turner seemed to sum up the whole season when he turned to someone on the sideline and said, "What happened?" after Jerome Simpson blew past unprepared cornerback Antoine Cason to haul in a 59-yard touchdown pass from Carson Palmer as the Bengals pulled away in the fourth quarter Sunday.
They needed to have the Kansas City Chiefs stumble in one of their final two games. Instead, it was the Chargers who eliminated themselves hours after the Chiefs routed the Tennessee Titans. When the Chargers lost, the Chiefs clinched the division title with one game to play.
"It's personal, and I take responsibility every game we lose," said quarterback Philip Rivers, who threw a crucial interception Sunday. "I understand it takes all of us to win a game, but certainly as a quarterback you feel like you have more of a hand in a win and a loss than anybody else who touches the ball every play.
"Certainly in a game we lose, there are plays I wish I had back and things I wish I could have done to help us win, and a season where you don't make the postseason, you certainly feel the same way about that."
The Chargers sputtered after consecutive home victories, 31-0 over the Chiefs and 34-7 over the San Francisco 49ers.
"I think Cincinnati felt they had a lot to prove," Turner said. "We knocked them out of home-field advantage last year; we beat them in overtime here. It was an extremely physical game. That's why I knew Sunday's game would be physical. They came out in what a lot of people might have thought was a meaningless game and played like they had a lot at stake. I'm sure they did. I'm sure that was a message to them: 'Hey, every time you go out and play, you're representing yourself and you're representing your organization.' "
The Chargers (8-7) must win Sunday at Denver to avoid their second 8-8 finish in three seasons.
The Chargers lost five games to teams with losing records: Seattle, St. Louis, Cincinnati and twice to Oakland.
"It starts in the division," Rivers said. "When you get swept by Oakland, you're probably not going to get in."
The Chargers have had a startling regression under Turner, who inherited a 14-2 team when Marty Schottenheimer was fired after the 2006 season because of a dysfunctional relationship with general manager A.J. Smith. Turner won two playoff games after the 2007 season, one playoff game after the '08 season and then the Chargers took a face-plant in a home playoff loss to the New York Jets after posting a 13-3 record last season.
Now the Chargers are out of the playoffs for the first time since 2005, when Drew Brees was injured in a meaningless finale against Denver, then allowed to leave as a free agent.
The Chargers' window of opportunity for getting to the Super Bowl could be narrowing not only under Smith, but in San Diego as well. The Chargers have committed to playing in San Diego only through the 2011 season. They continue to be rumored to be heading to Los Angeles if Anschutz Entertainment Group can build a downtown stadium.
Notes: Turner said RB Mike Tolbert, who sprained his neck and shoulder on a scary hit, was stiff and sore Monday. The coach said Tolbert had an MRI and there is no long-term damage or concern.
Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press
