Dallas and San Diego carry a reputation as the league's talented teams that always find a way to underachieve. Both spent late yesterday afternoon doing their best to prove it. The Chargers fell to 2-3 on the season, all three losses on the road to mediocre teams. Yesterday's 35-27 defeat in Oakland was the worst yet. They were penalized twelve times and lost the turnover battle 3-0. All three were fumbles, but two of them were by Philip Rivers under pressure. The Charger running game couldn't provide enough balance to keep the Oakland defense honest. So even though Rivers rolled up over 400 yards and made big plays to the outside--Michael Floyd accounted for over half of those yards--the Chargers still came up short. The last turnover was the most costly. Driving for a winning field goal, San Diego fumbled at the Oakland 36 and watched it run back for a clinching score. The Bolts are still in good position in the AFC West, given both their propensity for second half turnarounds and the fact Kansas City lost in Indianapolis. But when a Super Bowl-caliber team has to rely on the weakness of its division just to stay alive, it's a sad day.

The Cowboys played a better opponent in Tennessee, but they managed to lose a game that was must-win, at home and coming off a bye. The Titans aren't so good they should beat you in those circumstances. But they did. Dallas was as undisciplined as San Diego with twelve penalties and losing the turnover battle 3-0. Tony Romo was as prolific as Rivers, throwing for over 400 yards. But his mistakes were less excusable. He threw three interceptions. And unlike Rivers, he had a running game to help him out, as Felix Jones rushed for 109 yards. It also has to be a source of concern that Dallas couldn't force Vince Young into any mistakes. While the latter was erratic, completing less than 50 percent of his passes, he also made some big plays, turning 12 completions into 173 yards. Combine that with the usual steady running of Chris Johnson and it was enough to drop the Cowboys to 1-3.

Three other teams had losses that should inspire soul-searching...

*New Orleans fell in Arizona 30-20. The lack of a running game appears to be getting to Drew Brees. With Pierre Thomas and Reggie Bush out, Brees threw three interceptions. Still, I wonder how 20 points was not enough to win against an offense with a rookie quarterback that's been anemic thus far.

*Green Bay coughed up a 13-3 lead and lost in overtime at Washington. The Packers have an excuse--injuries are piling up and the hurting secondary was torched by Donovan McNabb, as he worked both Santana Moss and Chris Cooley into the offense. Green Bay did get a good running effort from Brandon Jackson, with his 115 yards. But the news reports that Aaron Rodgers suffered a concussion late in the game are enough to keep all of Wisconsin holding its breath.

*Cincinnati let Tampa Bay rally with a tying touchdown late and then a game-winning field goal in the closing seconds as the Bengals lost 24-21. The game was turnover-laden on both sides, and without Chad Ochocinco involved in the passing game, the Cincy offense wasn't breathing with both lungs. It was the start of a rough day on the Ohio River. After this game, fans could go across the lot to Great American Ballpark where the Phillies ousted the Reds from the playoffs.

Image from dallasnews.com

Dan Flaherty is the editor of the Sports Notebook Family, published through the Real Clear Sports Blog Network, offering daily MLB playoff coverage and game analysis in college football and the NFL