It's Not the Playoffs Until a Schottenheimer Team Loses

The Chargers led 14-10 at the half and 21-13 with 8:35 to go in the fourth quarter, but the Patriots scored 11 unanswered points -- including a Stephen Gostkowski field goal at the two-minute warning -- to catapult New England into the AFC Championship game against ... the Indianapolis freakin' Colts. Bill Belichick's plan is coming together nicely.

You'd have to think Colts quarterback Peyton Manning isn't thrilled about seeing the Patriots in the playoffs ... again (even though Indianapolis has beaten New England in two consecutive regular-season meetings), especially given his two poor postseason starts. But there will be plenty of time to over-analyze that matchup.

Save a late second-quarter touchdown, New England was unable to consistently move the ball in the first 30 minutes and things didn't get much better over the next 25. Here's how the Patriots first six second-half drives ended: punt, interception, punt, field goal, punt, interception.

But it was the last interception -- Tom Brady's third on the day -- that turned things around for New England. Chargers' safety Marlon McCree came up with the pick but WR/CB Troy Brown stripped McCree, the Patriots recovered, and minutes later, Brady hit Reche Caldwell on a four-yard touchdown pass.

San Diego had a chance to tie the game, but kicker Nate Kaeding -- who hadn't missed a field-goal attempt at home in two years -- came up short on a 54-yarder with only a few seconds on the clock.

Another season, another Schottenheimer playoff team goes down in flames, and it'll be interesting to see if he has a job in the morning. Meanwhile, Belichick is trying to figure out how to trade for Ty Law before next weekend's matchup with the Colts.