As San Diego Chargers fans head into Super Bowl XLVI with about as much interest in the game as they would have for a sweater knitting contest, I can’t help but recognize how strikingly similar the Lightning Bolts’ 2011 disaster of a season is to the non-playoff year the New York Giants endured in 2010.
Since I dislike Eli Manning as much as any other loyal Chargers fan does, I hate to admit I can’t think of any good reason why the New England Patriots should triumph this coming Sunday. The Giants have everything going for them in this game, as they possess all the momentum in the world and match up better with the Patriots than any other team does in the NFL. And while Tom Brady is one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time, he hasn’t exactly come up big in postseason action since winning his last Super Bowl in February 2005. Moreover, the Giants’ pass rush has given Brady fits in his last two meetings with New York—the most recent being a regular-season defeat to the G-Men last November 6, in which Brady threw two interceptions.
But while the Giants are virtually a lock in my eyes to capture their fourth Super Bowl title, I also don’t view them as anything more than a pretty good team that has been insanely lucky over the last month. (How can a team beaten by Rex Grossman TWICE in ONE YEAR be considered great?) Then again, perhaps the incredible luck they’ve received this season is in response to the ridiculous misfortune they went through in 2010. With that in mind, I’d like to point out the remarkable parallels between the 2010 New York Giants and the 2011 San Diego Chargers—in hopes it will lead to Norv Turner’s squad reaching and winning next year’s Super Bowl.
1. 2010 New York Giants: Eli Manning leads all quarterbacks in turnovers.
2011 San Diego Chargers: Philip Rivers turns the ball over incessantly.
2. 2010 New York Giants: Eli Manning fumbles the ball in ludicrous fashion late in the fourth quarter during a key division battle versus the Philadelphia Eagles. Philadelphia goes on to win.
2011 San Diego Chargers: Philip Rivers fumbles a snap late in the fourth quarter during a key division battle versus the Kansas City Chiefs. Kansas City goes on to win.
3. 2010 New York Giants: In a must-win, Week 16 matchup with the Green Bay Packers, the G-Men get blown out, 45-17.
2011 San Diego Chargers: In a must-win, Week 16 matchup with the Detroit Lions, the Lightning Bolts get blown out, 45-10.
4. 2010 New York Giants: In the final game of the regular season, the G-Men beat a division rival, the Washington Redskins, to finish their disappointing season on a high note.
2011 San Diego Chargers: In their final game of the regular season, the Lightning Bolts beat a division rival, the Oakland Raiders, to finish their regular season on a high note.
5. 2010 New York Giants: Would have won their division and earned a playoff spot if they had collected just one more victory.
2011 San Diego Chargers: Would have won their division and earned a playoff spot if they had collected just one more victory.
6. 2010 New York Giants: Head coach Tom Coughlin is fortunate to retain his job after his team fails to make the playoffs for the second straight season.
2011 San Diego Chargers: Head coach Norv Turner is fortunate to retain his job after his team fails to make the playoffs for the second straight season.
Does this mean San Diego will win its first Super Bowl title in February 2013? Probably not, but it can’t hurt to dream.
Classic Videos
For this edition of the blog I’d like to take you back to perhaps the greatest win in San Diego Chargers history—the 1994 AFC Championship. On the road, against the Pittsburgh Steelers, barely anyone outside of San Diego gave the Chargers a shot to win the right to play in Super Bowl XXIX, but the Lightning Bolts proved the doubters wrong in this rough-and-rugged victory.
The following video contains the deciding series of the game—56 seconds-worth of action former Chargers linebacker Dennis Gibson will likely never forget for the rest of his life.
1994 AFC Championship
For this edition of the blog I’d like to take you back to perhaps the greatest win in San Diego Chargers history—the 1994 AFC Championship. On the road, against the Pittsburgh Steelers, barely anyone outside of San Diego gave the Chargers a shot to win the right to play in Super Bowl XXIX, but the Lightning Bolts proved the doubters wrong in this rough-and-rugged victory.
The following video contains the deciding series of the game—56 seconds-worth of action former Chargers linebacker Dennis Gibson will likely never forget for the rest of his life.
1994 AFC Championship
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