San Diego Chargers 17, Tennessee Titans 6: For being criticized all year, 2nd year starter Philip Rivers has sure played well the last few weeks. With LaDainian Tomlinson shut down for much of the afternoon, the Titans made Rivers beat them. He did just that, throwing for 292 yards and a touchdown. It wasn’t pretty, but the proverbial monkey that finally came off the Chargers’ backs should allow them to play more relaxed against the Colts. For as lousy as Norv Turner has been during parts of 2007, his staff never panicked over a halftime deficit. Unlike Marty Schottenheimer’s playoff efforts, the Chargers finally found the discipline needed to close out a playoff game. Can they go into Indy and beat the World Champs? It’s certainly a possibility. The Chargers have beat Indy two of the last three meetings, including the 2005 victory that derailed the Colts’ undefeated season.
Jacksonville Jaguars 31, Pittsburgh Steelers 29: The dream upset scenario of “Jags over Pats” almost didn’t happen, as the Jags squandered a huge lead in the 4th quarter, only to win it with less than 30 seconds left. You have to admire the testicular fortitude of Jags coach Jack Del Rio, who called a quarterback drew on 4th and 2 that put the Jags in position for Josh Scobee’s game winner. So, now we have the next test for the Jaguars: The undefeated Patriots. A win at Gillette Stadium could go down as one of the biggest upsets in the NFL history.
