I was still out of town during the Chargers game, so I didn't get to see it live, and I was hoping to avoid knowing the outcome until after my two hour drive from my parents' house. Unfortunately, my dad let the results slip via a text message before I could get settled into my apartment. Now armed with the knowledge that the Chargers had failed, I still could not resist watching the game to witness exactly how badly San Diego had performed the final weekend of November. Not surprisingly, the Chargers found a new way to lose...and a painful one, at that.
For 3.5 quarters, the Chargers dominated this game, holding the Ravens to only 3 points. Unfortunately, the Chargers have found it nearly impossibly to play a complete four quarters, and it bit them in the ass again, as San Diego allowed Baltimore to put up 10 points within the final 8 minutes of regulation, eventually losing 13-16 in overtime. The play that everyone will remember was the stunning, and extremely controversial, 4th-and-29 conversion on a dump-off to Ray Rice that eventually set up the game-tying field goal by Justin Tucker. This was also the play that ended with Eric Weddle lying on his back with a concussion after a nasty block by Anquan Boldin. This...in a nutshell...has been the Chargers season. Even when the opponent has their backs against the wall, they will find a walk out of the stadium with a win with the Chargers holding the doors wide open.
This was a game that San Diego truly could not afford to give away...and they still couldn't help but send Baltimore back to the east coast with their ninth win of the season. To be ahead by double-digits midway through the final quarter and lose is baffling, even for the Chargers. In fact, this was the 4th time this season that they had the lead at halftime and eventually lost the game. So many things were going right for this beleaguered squad. The defense held both Ray Rice and Torrey Smith scoreless, while the offense, and most importantly Philip Rivers, did not turn the ball. Once again, as has been the trademark of Norv Turner's teams, the Chargers lacked the killer instinct to put the other team away. You could see it in the eyes of John Harbaugh, Ray Rice, and even the sidelined Ray Lewis...the Ravens were not going to go down without a fight, even when the odds were squarely stacked against them so many times throughout this game. But in the end, the better team won...because that's what good teams do. Teams like the Ravens will find ways to win. Teams like the Chargers will always find ways to lose.
This game, more than any other game so far, took its toll on the Chargers, both mentally and physically, as nine men in powder blue were injured during this game. Most notably Atari Bigby (groin), Donald Butler (groin), Danario Alexander (thigh), Antwan Barnes (hand), Darrell Stuckey (hamstring), Corey Liguet (tibia), and Eric Weddle (concussion). This obviously does not bode well for a mentally fragile clubhouse that just saw any minimal shot at the postseason go up in flames. It's really a shame, too. The Chargers displayed more fight in this game than they have at any other point in the season, and they have nothing to show for it.
I appreciate the words of Eric Weddle from his postgame interview, saying that this team is going to keep fighting, and that anything can happen, but the only thing the Chargers have to look forward to now is the 2013 Draft and the eventual introduction of their new head coach and general manager.
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