Chargers' season ends in AFC Championship game

Sunday, Jan 20, 2008
By Tom Shanahan, Chargers.com

Most times there isn't much for a football coach to say when his team finishes the season one victory shy of advancing to the Super Bowl with a loss in the AFC Championship game.

But when the subject got around to the injuries that the Chargers tried to play through Sunday in their 21-12 loss at the unbeaten New England Patriots (18-0), Bolts Head Coach Norv Turner said plenty about his players' desire.

"This is professional football, and you get in situations with agents and contracts when guys don't want to play to protect their body, and then you have a situation like we had with our guys," Turner said. "Our guys wanted to win a championship for San Diego and for this organization. There were some gutsy performances out there."

The AFC West champion Bolts (13-6) played without injured running back LaDainian Tomlinson, who was forced to the sideline after two plays when a hit aggravated his knee injury from last week's playoff win at the Indianapolis Colts.

Quarterback Philip Rivers played despite being hobbled by two knee injuries that had him listed as doubtful before the game. Tight end Antonio Gates was also doubtful and slowed by a dislocated toe from the Bolts' first playoff win against Tennessee. Nose tackle Jamal Williams (ankle) and kicker Nate Kaeding also played hurt.

Despite the injuries, the Chargers put themselves in position to win the game. San Diego trimmed New England's lead to 14-12 midway through the third quarter in the cold and windy conditions when Kaeding hit a 24-yard field goal.

But the Patriots, seeking the NFL's first unbeaten season since the Miami Dolphins in 1972, were able to score a touchdown early in the fourth quarter to build a two-score lead with 12.

Wes Welker's 6-yard touchdown catch gave the Patriots a two-score lead of 21-12 lead with 12:15 left in the fourth quarter. The Chargers were forced to punt and the Patriots went to a jumbo package to run out the final 9:13 of the game.

Running back Laurence Maroney finished with 25 carries for 122 yards and one touchdown. Backup running back Kevin Faulk also made two key third-down catches that kept the last drive alive and the ball out of the Chargers' hands. One was a diving catch on third-and-11 for an 11-yard gain to the Chargers' 35-yard line.

The Chargers finished the game with 311 yards, but they were forced to settle for four field goals without a touchdown. Rivers, who said his knee warmed up after the first couple of series, completed 19 of 37 passes for 211 yards with two interceptions.

"It didn't feel good at first," Rivers said of his knee, "but as the game went along, it got better. I thought we did some good things, but we weren't consistent enough. These weren't ideal conditions to play in, but you find a way to score 21 points to win. That's what they did. We had chances, but they found a way to get it done like they have for a lot of years. That's why they're going back to the Super Bowl."

Wide receiver Vincent Jackson finished with six catches for 93 yards and wide receiver Chris Chambers seven for 90. Running back Michael Turner 17 times for 65 gritty yards.

But with Tomlinson and Gates injured, the Chargers were without their two playmakers in red-zone situations.

"I told Nate he was awesome on the field goals, but I wish he would have had to kick two or three less than he did," Rivers said. "Our defense played great and kept us in the game. When you look back on the season, I think there is a lot to proud of. I just wish we didn't have to wait six months to get it going again."

The Patriots led 14-9 at halftime before Kaeding's field goal with 8:36 left in the third quarter made it a 14-12 game.

The score was set up by a nickel back Drayton Florence's interception. Chargers cornerback Quentin Jammer was defending Donte Stallworth when the ball bounced off Stallworth's hands to Florence.

The Chargers moved the ball eight plays and 43 yards to set up the field goal on fourth-and-3 from the 6-yard line.

In the first half, the game began with both teams' defenses forcing punts, but the Chargers managed to score first. The Bolts took a 3-0 lead with 2:55 left in the first quarter when they converted a interception by Jammer into a 26-yard field goal by Nate Kaeding.

Jammer leaped in front of Randy Moss for the pick at the Patriots' 40-yard line. The Bolts advanced to a first down at the 9-yard line before settling for a field goal on fourth-and-goal from the 8.

The Patriots took the ensuing kickoff and drove 65 yards in 10 plays for 7-3 lead on a 1-yard run by Maroney with 13:48 left in the second quarter.

The Chargers also answered with a scoring drive, although they again had to settle for a short field goal after being confronted with a first-and-goal at the 9-yard line. Kaeding connected from 23 yards to trim the Patriots' lead to 7-6 with 9:14 left in the first half. San Diego drove 65 yards in nine plays for the score.

But the Patriots increased their lead to 14-6 lead with 3:51 left in the first half after they converted field position and an interception into a quick score.

The series was set up when Chargers had forced New England to punt, but the high punt was downed at the 3-yard line before the ball bounced into the end zone. The Bolts managed one first down, but Rivers was intercepted by cornerback Asante Samuel.

"That was a key series in the game," Turner said. "It gave them a short field."

Samuel's 10-yard return was to the 24-yard line, and the Patriots scored two plays later on a 12-yard touchdown pass from Tom Brady to Jabar Gaffney.

Rivers was intercepted again, but the Chargers' defense forced a three-and-out punt to give the Bolts' offense the ball one more time before halftime.

The Chargers took advantage of the opportunity with a field goal to trim the New England's lead to 14-9 at halftime.

Darren Sproles broke off runs of 8 and 26 yards to advance the ball to the 31-yard line. The Bolts faced a fourth-and-1 from the 22-yard line when Kaeding hit his third field goal of the first half from 40 yards with 12 seconds remaining before intermission.

"Anything you say can't change the disappointment you feel because we came in here with the intention of winning," Turner said. "Not many people gave us a chance and we had a lot of people banged up. But I can't say enough about the courage and mental toughness this group showed and the way we competed. But unfortunately we didn't get it done."