The San Diego Chargers will play the Denver Broncos this weekend in San Diego with their season on the line, and if they hope to extend their season, Philip Rivers is going to have to continue his late-season heroics and carry the Chargers to victory.

Over the course of his career, Rivers is 30-8 in the month of December while throwing for 67 touchdowns and only 21 interceptions. He also has a winning record against the Broncos, going 10-8 with 30 touchdowns and 15 interceptions. When the two teams played earlier this season, Rivers had a decent game, throwing for 252 yards and three touchdowns, but he also threw two interceptions as the Chargers fell to the Broncos 35-21.

The Broncos have the second-ranked rush defense in the NFL, allowing only 72.8 yards per game on the ground. Add to that the very real possibility that Ryan Mathews might miss the game due to an ankle injury, and the burden on Rivers becomes even more clear.

The way to beat the Broncos is through the air. They are 14th in the league against the pass, allowing 238.2 passing yards per game, but they are tied for sixth-worst in allowing 25 passing touchdowns. If Rivers can stay upright, which might prove to be difficult as the Broncos are tied for third in the league with 38 sacks, he should be able to find open receivers and move the chains.

With backup running backs going up against a top run defense, the Chargers have no hope. Their only chance to pull off an upset in San Diego is for Rivers to air it out against the Broncos’ secondary and hope that he can continue his magical run in December.

Phillip Jacques is a Pac-12 Football writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google