The Chargers (5-8) produced their best performance of the year on Sunday. Their 34-24 victory over the Steelers (7-6) in Pittsburgh was the first against a team with a winning record. It was the type of game that produces stories that only can be written by real-life sports.

San Diego hadn't won a regular-season game in Pittsburgh in 14 tries before Sunday's victory.

Before the game, coach Norv Turner appeared to accept his fate that he would be fired at the end of the season. “We all know what the final outcome is going to be,” Turner told Jim Nantz.

Entering the game, the Chargers offense hadn't scored a touchdown in the last seven quarters, and this was the NFL’s top-rated defense.

And the San Diego O-line featured three players who didn't start the previous week. RT Reggie Wells was signed on Wednesday, and LT Kevin Haslam made his first career start.

Meanwhile, the Steelers offense looked to get a boost with the return of QB Ben Roethlisberger.

But none of it mattered because the Chargers finally played a near complete game.

The win kept the Chargers' bleak playoff hopes alive, but in all likelihood it was too little, too late to prevent massive organizational changes at the end of the season. Turner said Monday he preferred not to talk about his future.

Offense: B+

San Diego has struggled in the second half of games, but its most impressive drive came at the start of the third quarter. It went 18 plays for 78 yards and a TD while consuming 9:27 of game clock. Behind a makeshift O-line, QB Philip Rivers was only sacked once, and that wasn't even a loss; he was pushed out of bounds after no gain. Rivers finished 21 of 41 for 200 yards with three TDs and no INTs. RB Ryan Mathews led the rushing attack with 65 yards on 25 carries. The overall performance fell short of an A because there was only 294 yards of total offense. Previous game’s grade: F

Defense: B+

The Steelers punted on each of their first six possessions and the seventh time ended when they turned the ball over on downs. The run defense held Pittsburgh to only 69 yards on the ground, and Roethlisberger scrambled for 31 yards. CB Quentin Jammer recorded his second TD of the season (and his career) by jumping on a loose ball in the end zone from an incomplete backward pass. ILB Bront Bird made his first career INT. The defense has consistently performed well. However, the Chargers have repeatedly fallen short because they received very little help from their offense, and the defense hasn't been able to make critical stops. The grade falls short of A because the Steelers scored 21 points in the second half. Previous game’s grade: B

Special Teams: A

K Nick Novak was 2-2 on field goals, including one from 51 yards. It was only the fifth field goal of 50 yards or longer at Heinz Field. P Mike Scifres landed five of seven punts inside the 20. “I thought field position was the key to this game,” Turner said. “The key to the field position was the way we punted the ball and then the way we played defense.” Previous game’s grade: A

Coaching: B+

Dean Spanos, owner and team president, rewarded Turner with a game ball for finally getting a regular season win in the Steel City. Turner, however, did not have to coach through much adversity during the game. The victory was like the four others San Diego has had this season -- get a big lead and hold on. Despite their record, the Chargers have outscored their opponents 292 to 281 (+11). Turner will not reach the A range until he can demonstrate an ability to coach from behind and win a close game against a good opponent. Previous game’s grade: F

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