Another week, another heartbreaking loss by the Chargers. Honestly, it doesn’t get much harder—they’ve lost 7 games by a combined 28 points, and our net points scored/points allowed differential this season is 22. By contrast, we’re 4-7 with a 22-point differential, and the 6-5 Broncos have -44. That’s 44 points scored LESS than they’ve allowed, and yet somehow they’re two games up on us. Sometimes it’s very easy to hate football. In any event, I’ll take you through a hope-filled and then miserable afternoon and evening spent at Qualcomm, in another weekly column featuring unappreciated and uncredited input and analysis from Ryan “Leaky Pipes” Thies and JJ “Counting Sheep” Fiddler.
1. We stop at Islands on the way in—why? Because we’re 12-0 when we eat at Islands, and this is a must-win game. Sacrifices must be made.
2. There are so many story-lines in this game, it’s amazing—these are two teams united in their hatred of the Pats, weighted down by all the drama of Peyton’s six picks last year and the question of he’ll repeat or not. I mean, the Cromartie/Manning angle of this game will be amazing.
3. Ultimate example of fanbiguity—a bar full of Bolts fans rooting for the Raiders, because they’re playing the Broncos. Yeahbuhwha?
4. On the way into the stadium we see a couple walking together, both wearing jerseys. He has Lo. Neal, she has LT. Probably the best husband/wife jersey combo team I could think of there, except maybe Jerry Rice/Steve Young.
5. The speakers are louder tonight. Maybe they’re trying to “pipe” in some of that RCA Dome artificial noise. Leaky Pipes doesn’t know anything about it, a shame since the word pipes is in his name and all.
6. Random jersey spot: dude in a Mike Vick uni. Explain that, reader!
7. When the Colts are punting, it looks like we’re lining up to block, leaving just one man on each gunner. Given how important Sproles’ returns were to the win last season, I expected them to try and set him up better than this.
8. TOE WATCH—14:41 into game 11, LaDainian Tomlinson makes his first spin move of 2008. Should I be happy or appalled?
9. We’re getting more pressure, but it’s just been minor disruptions—we’re still not actually touching the quarterback.
10. It’s 10-10 at the half. I have to feel like our defense has been playing well, holding a mostly error-free Colts team to 10 points. It was the Jammer flying pick (great play) that led to our touchdown, too. The offense, though it’s looked good in streaks, seems hesitant. Maybe more in the playcalling than the players.
11. I’ve also noticed when we’re running left someone is cracking between the guard and the tackle on the right side and tackling LT from behind pretty consistently.
12. Andrea Kramer is paying very close attention to the cheerleaders. Interesting.
13. AH that Rivers fumble…I’ve been waiting for that shoe to drop. That’s his ninth turnover in the last five games, and it’s starting to look like a habit. Bonus note: immediately after the fumble, they did the Credit Union Kickoff Challenge on the other side of the field. How cruelly ironic just seconds after we turned it over in field goal range.
14. Sure enough, the Colts march our turnover down the field and punch it in—these teams are so evenly matched it’s odd. I don’t know if we have a shot at a comeback playing like this. I’m going to chew my nails till after the game.
15. Oh. My. God. Tied at 20 with a minute thirty-five seconds on the clock? And we lose? I just don’t get it—we played similar games, fought hard on defense, and the offense didn’t look bad. What happened? I think it’s just that this season the Colts are more likely to get the three points there—for whatever reason, we just haven’t been able to pull it off. And by “it,” I mean a win.
16. By the way, it’s still very possible to make the playoffs, if you believe Leaky Pipes. Looking out our schedule and the Broncos schedule, all we need to do is make up one game in the next four weeks—we have the Falcons, Raiders, Chiefs, and Bucs, and they have the Jets, Chiefs, Panthers, and Bills. Should we make up the one game, we host the Broncos in the final game of the season, knowing that a win would give us the tiebreaker.
VIEW FROM THE Q AWARD: Best Piece of Tailgating art
