Chargers crash the party

Published Jan 14 2008, 03:05 PM by Ryan Stewart

Here's what we imagine happening between last Friday and this morning: football pundits like Peter King started mentally drafting their AFC Championship preview columns for Monday that would have focused on how if there was one team who could beat the Patriots, it was the team that most resembled the previous, title-winning editions of the Patriots: the Indianapolis Colts. Then, we picture them all watching Sunday's game and thinking in the backs of their minds "What do we do now?"

Credit the Chargers, for sure. We were initially tempted to declare a Patriots-Packers Super Bowl as inevitable, but perhaps we shouldn't look past this team, who beat the heavily-favored Colts despite injuries to Phillip Rivers, Antonio Gates, and LaDanian Tomlinson. Their coach, Norv Turner, has been mocked quite a bit, but he had his team prepared.

For the Colts, on the other hand, one must wonder if their window is closing. Tony Dungy might retire and Marvin Harrison may never be the same again. Their offseason should be an interesting one.