Talk about playing with house money!

Here the Chargers are, 8-8, hosting a playoff game against the Colts.  It’s the latest installment in what’s becoming a great NFL rivalry.  Yes, HOSTING a playoff game.  Crazy.

To make this whole situation even crazier, the Chargers need two things…

1. Offensive Spontaneity
The reverse on the first play last week against the Broncos is a good example.  We might not have LT, so it’s going to take some imagination on offense.  That means a lot of Sproles from a lot of different directions.

2. Turnovers
It’s been a key in every Charger/Colts game of the last few years, and San Diego has 10 turnovers since Ron Rivera took over the D.  That’s right, I’m looking at you Cromartie.

Here we go!  It’s all gravy, let’s go Bolts!

14:50 1st Qtr
LT takes his first carry around the edge for a first down, but it’s obvious he’s not 100%.  I cringe when they show the slow-mo replay.  Nothing makes me more squeamish than watching an athlete struggle with a groin injury.  Rivers gets sacked on third-and-two, and the Bolts punt.

10:00 1st Qtr
Manning almost finds Wayne on a double move against Cromartie, and then Reggie drops the next pass on third down.  That Wayne/Cromartie battle could be the most important in the game.  The Colts punt.

8:00 1st Qtr
The Bolts go three and out.  Did the Charger receivers dress for the game today?

5:02 1st Qtr
Manning goes 6-for-6 on the scoring drive, and Anthony Gonzalez is giving Cason a rude rookie lesson right now.  Joe Addai caps it with a COLTS TD.  Cason loves to get his hands on receivers, but Gonzalez is too fast for him.  Rivera needs to let Cason come up on the line, or get a linebacker out there to chip him. 7-0 Indy

End 1st Qtr   7-0 Indy
Rivers doesn’t look very special right now, but I like the dedication to the run.  LT takes one, Sproles takes one.  In order to keep Peyton and the Colts off the field, it’s going to take more big runs on third down.

12:33 2nd Qtr
On third down, everyone in the world knows Manning is looking for Gonzalez.  But even though #11 makes the catch, Cason makes a great open field tackle.  Colts punt, and Sproles gets a nice return into Indy territory.

10:15 2nd Qtr
GATES!!!!  He’s the go-to guy tonight, and I guess it’s okay for now, but at some point Rivers is going to have to look at V-Jack and Chambers.  LT takes it in for a San Diego Touchdown after Gates takes a slant for 30 yards.  7-7

6:46 2nd Qtr
No YAC (Yards After Catch) Today!  Yes, Manning is going to have his completions, but some good tackling from Cason and safety Eric Weddle stalls the Colts drive.  Vinatieri puts in through the up rights.  10-7 Indy

4:41 2nd Qtr
67-yard punt?!?! Mike Scifres is our MVP.  No doubt.  The Chargers always seem to have a great punter, and the way our offense can get sometimes, it’s a good thing.  Remember Darrin Bennett?

2:00 2nd Qtr
Sproles runs it up the middle.  Rivers finds Chambers in the flat on first down for a first down.  This is the spontaneity I was talking about before the game.

00:42 2nd Qtr
Chambers over the middle and Sproles into the end zone to cap the 45-yard drive in 2:19.  This drive is so un-Norv like, and I love it!  14-10 San Diego

00:33 2nd Qtr
On the ensuing kickoff.  Kasim Osgood answers my call to “strip that ball!”  (seriously, I yelled it as he went in to pull that ball out.)  They review in the booth, and on second and third looks, it couldn’t be any closer.  Apparently, not enough to overturn the call on the field.  If the call on the field was different, I bet the review would have been different.  Colts keep the ball and run out the clock.

HALFTIME  14-10 Chargers
I think the best thing the Chargers have done in the first half is tackle well.  I can only count two missed tackles, and if you mix in a turnover, it could be a whole lotta Bolts in the second half.  Keep in mind we’re winning, and LT or Rivers haven’t done much of anything yet.

10:00 3rd Qtr
The two defensive units are playing better as this game gets longer.  Both teams are forced to punt early.  Scifres is just better.  M-V-P, M-V-P!

8:10 3rd Qtr
Speaking of MVP, that’s why Manning got the award again, he just makes it happen.  He catches the Chargers D in a personnel change, and the Colts take the lead back when Peyton finds Wayne behind the confused secondary for a 72-yard TD.  17-14 Colts

3:00 3rd Qtr
This is the drive.  Rivers is buying time and making plays.  Sproles is looking spry.  Hell, Michael Bennett busts off a 14-yard run with LT still on the sideline.  But then, the one thing we can’t have happen, happens.  Sproles takes a screen pass to the three-yard line, then coughs it up for a turnover in the end zone.  That’s a game changer…

00:58 3rd Qtr
Three-and-out! This might be the first time this year- after the offense puts the defense in a tough situation- that the D is saving the O.  If the Colts could have put a drive together, it might have taken the air out of the SD balloon.

End 3rd  17-14 Indy
We all know Peyton is going to break through at some point, so it’s up to the offensive line to keep him on the sideline.

13:40 4th Qtr
Three things: 1. Rivers’ play to extend for the first down on his run is exactly why I like him.  2. Love the call to go for it on 4th down.  3.  NBC was so impressed with the run, we didn’t get to see the QB sneak for the first down.

12:17 4th Qtr
One forward, two back.  Two turnovers back, that is.  In true Norv fashion, the Chargers take a shot down field after a big play, and the Colts pick off Rivers in the end zone.

6:00 4th Qtr
The D comes through again!?!?  Cooper is playing so well, and the solid tackling has continued into the second half.  Manning gets a rhythm and works the clock a bit, but the consistent pressure on the MVP QB is making him look pedestrian, and causing penalties on the Colts.  Colts punt.

4:34 4th Qtr
Bennett makes- what could be- play of the game for the first down, by just that much.

3:15 4th Qtr
Pressure from the outside on third down again, and Mathis gets his second sack of the night.  But it’s all good, MVP takes the field and pins ’em back at the 2-yard line.  One more time, D.  One more time.

2:00 4th Qtr
DEFENSE!!!  What a game!  That quick snap bit the Colts in the butt right there as Dobbins got to Manning before the Indy o-line moved.  Is there magic in these powder blues?

00:53 4th Qtr
GATES!!!!

00:31 4th Qtr
Kaeding is true!!! Tied it up, but is 31 seconds and two timeouts too much? 17-17

End of Regulation  17-17
Tucker and Phillips go out with injury on the last two plays, but we’ll worry about that later.  We’re headed to OT!  And the Chargers win the toss… Tails never fails.  Told you, Mike!

14:00 OT
Sproles!!!  As disappointed as I am to see LT on the sideline, I am twice as excited to see #43 fly through the gaps.  That’s 304 yards on the night for the best back-up running back in the league.  I feel like I’ve said that before about a Charger back…

10:00 OT
Holding on Tim Jennings.  Is this gonna happen?  Are we really gonna get a call that helps us win a game?  As I write this, we get a face mask call, as well.  Is this really happening?  Are the calls really going our way?!?!

CHARGERS WIN!  SPROLES TAKES IT IN!!!!  CHARGERS WIN!