Somewhere after Feb. 4 there will be a parade, because some team will win Super Bowl XLI. It could be the Patriots, after yesterday's 24-21 victory in the AFC divisional round sent them to Indianapolis next Sunday to battle their long-time rivals, the Colts, for the conference title. The only parade involving the party-hearty Chargers, however, will be into Junior Seau's popular sports bar to watch New England and Indianapolis do battle for supremacy in the NFL's dominant conference.
While the top-seeded Chargers were planning parades and beating their chests about their 14-2 record, the Patriots were back in Foxborough, Mass., fully aware there was only one thing to be preparing for. For this game, and nothing else.
That preparation led New England to play much of the first half in a two-tight end set designed to provide Tom Brady maximum protection. It didn't work. It not only didn't stop him from being hit and harassed, but it also limited what the Patriots could run offensively. That led to a 14-3 deficit, and only 67 yards of total offense when they got the ball back with 1:58 to play in the second period. It was then that coach Bill Belichick and offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels went to the more dangerous three-wide receiver set that left them with only Daniel Graham in as an extra blocker, which in theory put Brady at risk. But in reality it put the Chargers there instead.
