Shocking The Bolts

Yesterday's 24-21 win by the Patriots over the San Diego Chargers was a game for the ages. It was the first time since Super Bowl XXXVI that the Pats stole a game that they had little business winning. Sure, they've been an underdog since then (the AFC Championship against Pittsburgh in 2005 comes to mind), but in those games, they have taken control early and held down a lead for the remainder of the game.

The Pats executed the game plan perfectly. You cannot stop L.T. -- you can only hope to contain him. A 100-yard day with a touchdown or two is almost a foregone conclusion when you play against L.T. To beat him, you need to let him run wild at midfield but clamp down in the red zone. That's exactly what the Pats did, and by doing so, they forced the inexperienced Philip Rivers to win or lose the game himself. While Rivers' nerves were evident, too much cannot be said about the Pats' secondary, which came up big time and time again with perfectly-timed swats and jostling hits on receivers.

The Pats' offense was anemic for most of the game. Except for a clock-beating hurry-up drive that led to a touchdown at the end of the first half, Brady & Co. didn't do anything to speak of until midway through the fourth quarter. The top two running backs accounted for a grand total of 23 yards. But then, Tom Brady showed why he will never win a regular-season MVP award but nevertheless is the guy you want on your side in a win-or-go-home situation: Brady always finds a way to do just enough to win the game. He wasn't spectacular -- he was just plain smart. It doesn't matter who his supporting cast is, since castoffs like Reche Caldwell and Jabar Gaffney seem to do the job just as well as guys like Deion Branch and David Givens.

As much credit as the Pats deserve for the improbable win, the Chargers deserve a load of blame. Marty Schottenheimer's puzzling decision to go for it on 4th-and-11 in the first quarter was ridiculous, but it wasn't the reason the Bolts lost. Drayton Florence's drive-sustaining personal foul call and Shane Oliva's post-PAT antics that resulted in a 15-yard markoff on the ensuing kickoff were both boneheaded decisions, but neither of them are responsible for the loss.

If I had to pin the blame on someone, it should be Marlon McCree, who intercepted Brady on fourth down, then promptly fumbled the ball back to the Pats, giving them a new set of downs that they converted for the game-tying score. On fourth down, you are better off swatting a pass and taking the ball at the line of scrimmage, rather than intercepting it and trying to run it back. McCree got greedy. There's no way he could have gotten the ball back to the line of scrimmage, so the best possible outcome would have been a net loss. The worst possible outcome was, well, we saw what happened. And everybody in Patriot Nation knew that when Kevin Faulk lined up next to Brady on the two-point conversion, he would get the direct snap. Evidently, none of the Chargers watched Super Bowl XXXVIII.

Now that the Bolts have been shocked, the Pats have a chance to eliminate Peyton Manning from the postseason for the third time in four years and punch their ticket to the big game in Miami. I can't wait until Sunday!