<\/div>\n<\/p>\n
Listen: Writing about this game is like trying to write about my wedding. <\/span>I don’t, at the end of the day, have the talent or the vocabulary to truly put down in words what the experience was like. <\/span>I can tell you that a Bolts win has never felt better, and that Qualcomm has never been louder. <\/span>Beyond that, as always, I’ll try to provide some insight and some first-hand experience. <\/span>As always, this week’s column contains uncredited and unappreciated wit and witticisms from Ryan “Leaky Pipes” Thies, JJ “Caaaan Yooouuuu Diiiiiig It?” Fiddler, and Shar “My Wife\/Small But Mighty” Higa. <\/span><\/p>\n 1. I’m going to dispense with this as quickly as possible, because in hindsight it’s disgusting, although it also perfectly encapsulates this season. <\/span>Driving down, Pipes and I were forlorn. <\/span>Last week everything was so hyped, and exciting, and shocked—it was a real playoff atmosphere. <\/span>Today, however, felt like a funeral procession. <\/span>There wasn’t as much blue and gold on the freeway, the scalpers weren’t making any money, and we heard attendance was going to be down. <\/span>So, strangely, as we cruised down the 5, praying for rain (because Peyton wilts like a crepe paper flower in the rain), we were faced with a strange realization: the playoffs felt less like the playoffs than week 17.<\/p>\n 2. We pull alongside the Marriott as the Colts team bus is leaving, narrowly avoiding getting hit by the police motorcade. <\/span>Getting shoved aside by Indy doesn’t help our temperaments.<\/p>\n 3. There are no horses in the horse trailer.<\/p>\n 4. LT’s injury: I haven’t paid this much attention to another man’s groin since…well, since never. <\/span>It’s troubling my wife. <\/span><\/p>\n 5. Pre-game they’re playing a Dixie Chicks song called “Let it Rip, Let it Fly” while they show highlights from the season, mostly clips of Rivers’ TDs. <\/span>Two years ago, it was virtually the same highlight, but starring LT, with “Born to Run” playing. <\/span>I think that sums up our offensive transition as well as anything.<\/p>\n 6. Kickoff—it’s loud. <\/span>Really loud. <\/span>Casual fans understand that a loud stadium means more false starts, and a flustered visiting offense. <\/span>If you’ve never experienced noise like the Q is at kickoff (and I’ve never heard it this<\/i> loud), then you may not know—it’s so loud, you can’t hear yourself think. <\/span>You can’t hear your QB, but you can’t hear your wife’s or mother’s voice in the back of your head, trying to comfort you. <\/span>You—can’t—hear—anything. <\/span>And that’s what home field advantage is.<\/span><\/p>\n 7. First Bolts’ TD: the only “Points off” stat kept by statisticians is Points off turnovers, but give credit to Scifres for pinning them inside the five, and the defense for holding them there. <\/span>That’s seven points off Scifres, and seven points off three-and-out.<\/p>\n 8. LT looked awful tentative on that TD. <\/span>Now I’m worried about his groin again…<\/p>\n 9. Second Bolts’ TD, to go up 14-10: Again, Scifres pins them inside the ten, defense keeps them there. <\/span>14 points off Scifres\/three-and-out.<\/p>\n 10. I just saw Willie McGinest on the sideline—apparently he’s doing some TV work, judging from the suit (turns out it’s for NFL Network, Poly fans take note).<\/p>\n 11. Twice tonight we’ve almost gotten to Peyton, and twice he’s completed big passes to Anthony Gonzalez. <\/span>We’re going to have to get some pressure if we want to compete in the second half. <\/span>Also, LB native Antoine Cason is really struggling on Gonzalez.<\/p>\n 12. On the challenge of the kickoff fumble—AGAIN, I ask, where my makeup call at? <\/span>The Bolts are still owed one game-changing call from the officials.<\/p>\n 13. The 72-yard “Nobody’s looking” TD to Wayne was sickening. <\/span>Coaches out there: who do I blame, a coach or a player, for our defense seeming to not know that the Colts have a hurry-up offense in their pocket?<\/p>\n 14. Scifres pins them at the one, defense holds the Colts to three-and-out, we drive down the field and kick the game-tying field goal. <\/span>We’ve scored 17 points, all of which have come off of Scifres punts inside the ten, and a three-and-out. <\/span>Somehow we have no turnovers, one sack, are being outgained, and are tied at 17 and going to overtime. <\/span>The stadium is rocking, I’m feeling nauseous. <\/span>Not sure my heart can take it.<\/p>\n 15. TAILS NEVER FAILS. <\/span>JJ, you win.<\/p>\n 16. Darren has been “one guy” away from a TD almost every time he’s touched the ball—not just this game, but all season. <\/span>I thought he was going to finally break it on the kickoff and save us all from having coronaries, but no. <\/span><\/p>\n 17. The way the noise just drops out from under everything as Rivers brings the team to the line is amazing—a sign that this crowd has playoff experience. <\/span><\/p>\n 18. HE BEAT THE ONE GUY! <\/span>Darren Sproles just broke around the corner, made Bethea look silly, and went in for the game-winning touchdown. <\/span>Playoff game-winning touchdown! <\/span><\/p>\n 19. Bedlam barely describes the Q right now—it’s shaking, even Colts fans aren’t upset, the noise is thunderous, the team is sprinting onto the field, and I’ve lost my voice.<\/p>\n 20. Officially, from a quasi-Chargers fans, I’m saying—the three penalties on the game-winning drive officially—really, officially—squares the NFL with the Chargers for the Ed Hochuli incident. <\/span>Let’s drop it now.<\/p>\n 21. On the way out of the stadium, we high-five almost everyone we see, and I’m hugged by four total strangers. <\/span>I’ve never been at a win like this, here or anywhere else. <\/span>Truly something special—this team has been waiting for this for…maybe forever. <\/span>You could never give enough credit to Sproles and Scifres, and to the defense, who held the Colts to 17 points. <\/span>For the second year in a row, two Chargers were injured against the Colts in the playoffs, and for the second year in a row, one of them stepped up huge, as Antonio Gates had his best game of the yaer.<\/p>\n 22. The last time the Chargers lost to a non-AFC East team in the playoffs was 1995, when they lost to the Colts. <\/span>That’s one reason to root for Baltimore. <\/span>The other is that if they beat the Dolphins and then win next week, and we win next week, the Chargers will host the AFC Championship. <\/span>Sounds impossible? <\/span>Tell me we beat the Colts in OT in the first round of the playoffs after the Falcons loss dropped us to 4-8. <\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" In one of the best games in recent NFL playoff history, the Chargers beat the Colts. 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