they won it? OMG they really won it?!

no, i'm being serious. you mean, the Patriots actually *won* that game?
::peeks out warily from behind hands pressed tightly over her eyes::
is that what these happy faces are all about? REALLY?!

no idea. no. freaking. clue. how they pulled off that win in San Diego. i thought for sure it was going to be lights out for New England at Qualcomm Field.

in fact, it truly wasn't until about ten minutes *after* the game that i finally believed that they really won -- just in case you thought i was kidding with the disbelief.

before i forget: apparently the Chargers shot at keeping out Patriots fans was thwarted. =P


and here i was, impatiently waiting for the game to start already (though simultaneously dreading it almost as much, what with the heart-stopping fear & all), thinking that the big dramatic excitement for the week was the Bears OT victory over the Seahawks. little did *i* know. ha.

after a shaky start, the defense seemed to come alive making some key plays.



and then Brady finally started looking like his cool, confident self just as the first half was ending, when he connected with Gaffney in the endzone.



in all honesty though, i didn't think Brady looked sharp enough out there today to put my mind at ease. he seemed too rattled. no quiet, confident swagger. he still managed to put together the touchdown drive that tied it & the following one that set up the winning field goal. but that wasn't without a little assistance from the Chargers taking penalties. and Troy Freaking Brown, who managed to play both offense & defense on the same play, switching from intended receiver to DB, swatting out one of Tom's interceptions from the hands of some San Diego defenseman whose name i don't know because i was in the middle of hyperventilating.

i will say, though, that Reche Caldwell can be as bug-eyed as his little heart desires, as long as he keeps catching those passes a la Deion Branch from two years ago!

and major kudos to the defense,

who, though they let some mind-boggling plays happen with hardly a blink as a Charger zoomed by, also held the fearsome LaDainian Tomlinson to *only* 123 yards & two touchdowns. just so we're clear, that wasn't sarcasm. i was afraid it was going to be about double that. the dude just scares the hell out of me, leaving piles of defenders tossed aside in his wake.


i really *don't* know how Rivers didn't win, what with the scariest RB in the NFL at his disposal; the equally-amazing-in-his-own-category-of-TE Antonio Gates; receivers who can apparently leap tall buildings in a single bound;

and Shawne Merriman's steroid-powered "Lights Out" dance. i took a lot of flack for worrying about this game & not "believing in my boys" but last year's Denver fiasco remains a vivid & bitter memory against a *much* less terrifying team. and when you consider that this was the hands-down best team in the NFL this year, well... i guess telling myself they had all but lost this game before it even started was just a coping mechanism that got deployed to protect me from the very real possibility of calling it a season tonight.

but these boys... they are playing with heart again. and making magic happen. they are pulling off two-point conversions to tie it up in the fourth quarter (thank you Kevin Faulk!)

and hanging onto interceptions with hands all up in their face masks! (way to go, Roosevelt Colvin!)

they may not being the team of destiny from 2001 or the team of dynasty from 2004. and they may not be the shocking force of 2003. but they are the same scrappy Brady & the winning-est head coach since Lombardi. they make the impossible play out & i can stand for them to prove my faint-hearted fears wrong every time.


and all ye of little faith in The Rookie! (the one thing i *wasn't* worried about tonight!) 50 yards through the uprights to start the Patriots scoring for the day

and again from 31 yards to seal the victory. that kid came off as unflappable. looked like he had nerves of steel for a no-name rookie with some scary big dudes charging (ha! sorry...) at him.

how's that for clutch, Adam? (and i pray i didn't just channel some bad karma against my boys, considering we face the old foot next week...)

i'm not going to even attempt to play-by-play for you, as i was admittedly wearing paths in my carpet from all the tense pacing i was doing, but if you are willing to read a lengthy post, Chad Finn over at TATB did a bang-up job. i just read the whole thing, wondering what the take was from someone who actually absorbed what was happening on the tv screen & he even got a few hearty laughs out of me with his commentary. i think i may nominate him as an announcer for next season instead of the sportsholes we currently get subjected to. or maybe i could just get a live audio stream online for next week & mute my tv?

ok. nuff rambling here. i think i'm going to need all week just to soak this one in. and hope to God that Peyton's hands are already secretly getting sweaty at the thought of facing the Patroits in the RCA Dome next Sunday. i hope he runs his mouth all week like he has been in his postgame interviews -- i find that to be a sure way to lose a big game, so i also hope we don't hear a peep from the New England camp. only the same Belichick-esque silence. just like we had leading up to the match up today in San Diego. and say what you want about Brady's performance today -- somehow that team pulls off wins it never should & the game isn't over til the clock hits 0:00.