SAN DIEGO - Nothing says Christmas Eve more than a muscular, raging man ripping someone's head off.

OK, so it was just LaDainian Tomlinson's helmet that John Lynch twisted and tugged and then discarded as if it were an overripe pumpkin.

Not very festive behavior, especially from a guy who grew up in North County. But then, they were playing football on Monday night at Qualcomm Stadium, not Pictionary.

"When that happened, I thought it was going to be one of those games where even the good guys turn into bad guys," Tomlinson said after the Chargers' 23-3 runaway.

Football in any season is a series of highly choreographed freeway pileups. Freakishly huge men being paid massive sums to deconstruct each other.

We all know that. We all love it.

So it wasn't necessarily a bad thing when Lynch tried to turn Tomlinson into a human bobblehead.

"I like that," Chargers defensive lineman Luis Castillo said. "I like emotional moments like that in the game.

"Because it shows you that, regardless of their record, regardless of their playoff situation, these games matter."

Broncos coach Mike Shanahan explained it thusly: "(Lynch) had his helmet. That's not a penalty. He just can't throw his helmet."

A Broncos team that had nothing to play for played with some fire. Although Lynch, a Torrey Pines High graduate, later slapped hands with Tomlinson in an attempt to make nice, the gesture didn't seem to take.

Hulking Broncos offensive tackle Matt Lepsis attempted to slow Chargers freight train Shawne Merriman by grabbing a fistful of facemask. At one point, Broncos linebacker Jamie Winborn stopped Tomlinson so abruptly it looked like he hit an I-5 on-ramp on a Friday afternoon. Broncos linebacker Nate Webster gave the Chargers' Darren Sproles the same brick-wall treatment later in the second quarter.

It was all just a little weird, watching the brightly colored violence, complete with cheerleaders and fireworks and full complement of trimmings. An odd entertainment choice on this night. Like picking "Scarface" over "It's a Wonderful Life."

Shouldn't we all have been baking sugar cookies, singing carols and watching the latest Elmo holiday special?

Yeah, you're right. Thank goodness for football. And the football was good, thankfully.

That was a surprise because these Broncos aren't the skilled, well-drilled ones we've come to expect. Worse, they stumbled out of the playoff picture not long after the Chargers shredded them 41-3 in Denver on Oct. 7.

Lynch said they remembered that score.

"When a team whups you like that, you don't forget it," he said.

As Lynch indicated with his early helmet toss, the Broncos arrived with bad intentions. Down 23-0 in the second half, they kept coming. They got within a yard or two of the end zone. That's where Clinton Hart, with an assist from Drayton Florence, intercepted a Jay Cutler pass.

Interceptions, sacks, one-handed catches, diving catches, a fourth-quarter goal-line stand, L.T., L.T. and more L.T. It was too much for Denver.

The Chargers might not be the hottest team in the NFL - that honor goes to a little 15-0 squad called the New England Patriots. But with the playoffs looming, it's hard to imagine them playing much better.

The Chargers have five straight wins, including back-to-back annihilations. They blasted the Detroit Lions 51-14 in their previous outing, have won nine of 11 and inched closer to locking down the No. 3 seed in the AFC.

Even with something to play for, the Chargers could have easily have taken the night off. And by playing so well, many of them were allowed to punch out early.

"I think it's pretty clear they are a better football team right now," said Lynch, who seemed to be the only one bothered by his treatment of Tomlinson. "That's something I've never done in 15 years, and I'm not proud of it by any means. I apologized to him and I apologize to everybody."

All in all, it was three crisp hours of solid holiday entertainment. But enough with the football.

Today, I'm watching a Christmas movie with the family.

"Scarface."

Contact sports editor Loren Nelson at (760) 740-3551 or lnelson@nctimes.com.