NFL

AFC Championship Game live thread: New England vs. San Diego - 21-12 Patriots (FINAL).

From 32, to 12, to 8, and now 4.

By the end of today, only two teams will be left standing in the NFL, with their eyes on the prize that all thirst for, but few ever get their hands on.

We know who one of those teams will be, and it’s no surprise that one of them is the New England Patriots. An injured Philip Rivers did all he could, and the Chargers picked off Tom Brady three times, but in the end, the Patriots come through once again and get the victory.

Now it’s time to focus on the NFC Championship Game between the Packers and Giants, which will be underway at Lambeau Field in about a half hour.

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FINAL: New England 21, San Diego 12

TWO-MINUTE WARNING: I’m going to wrap this up and get ready for the NFC title game. The Patriots are going to advance to their fourth Super Bowl in this decade, and first since the 2004 season. 18 games, 18 wins, and one more standing in their way of history.

It wasn’t a pretty game for the Patriots, but they made all of the plays they needed to, and got a little help from the Chargers, who came up short in the red zone three times.

It’s fair to say that New England will need to play a little better in the Super Bowl, because no matter how good you are, you can’t always get away with not playing near your best, or close to it.

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San Diego calls their final timeout with 3:36 left, and if you’re a Patriots fan, you’re one more first down away from officially being able to celebrate, and there it is, as Maroney gets a six-yard gain on 3rd and 3.

The cameras just showed a picture of L.T. with his helmet on. You’ve got to feel for the guy, because he worked his butt off to get the Chargers to this point, and he hasn’t been able to be a factor for much of the last two games. He should have a few more chances though, so chin up L.T.

1st and 10, Chargers 44: Guess who makes the big catch again? It’s Faulk, who reaches around to make the catch and pick up 14 yards and the first down. If the previous first down wasn’t the dagger, that might have been, because the Pats can run it inside four minutes, and close to three.

1st and 10, Patriots 35: If I was going to give the player of the game right now, it’d go to Kevin Faulk. After a sack of Brady put the Pats in a 2nd and 18, Faulk got back a good chunk on a catch, and then, on 3rd and 11, Faulk gets a huge first down by making his seventh catch of the day and getting just enough for the first down.

That may well have been the dagger for San Diego, because New England can now run another couple of minutes off of the clock, and the Chargers will have about five minutes or so, at best, to get two scores.

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4th and 10, Patriots 36: After a Gates catch and Turner run get a first down, Rivers goes for Gates twice in a row and comes up empty, first when Gates doesn’t turn around quickly enough, and then when the pass is tipped with the big tight end open. On third down, Rodney Harrison comes on the blitz and decks Rivers as he lets it go.

Instead of going for it on fourth down, the Chargers decide to punt it and take their chances on defense. New England will start at the 12 after the commercial break. Haven’t tried Cherry Chocolate Dr. Pepper yet? Do it, because Tay Zonday says so!

1st and 10, Patriots 49: Chambers and Jackson have been huge for the Chargers today, and they have come up big on this drive so far. Chambers makes a 16-yard reception on the first play of the drive, and then, on 3rd and 10, Rivers hits Jackson for a big 18-yard gain, and just that quickly, San Diego is in New England territory.

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PATRIOTS TOUCHDOWN: This time, the Chargers can’t come up with the stop in the red zone, as Brady hits Welker in the end zone for the seven-yard score, and it’s a two-score game after Gostkowski boots the extra point. SCORE: New England 21, San Diego 12 (12:15 4th).

Last week, the Jaguars got down by two scores in the fourth, but couldn’t close the deficit. Now, it’s crunch time for the Chargers, and there’s more than eough time on the clock. So, it’s not necessary for them to get too rushed and make a mistake that could take them out of it.

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The quarter ends with New England at the 50, with a second and six. Can the Chargers pull it off, or will the Patriots come through for the 18th straight time this season? We’re 15 (more like 30 or 45) minutes away from finding out.

PATRIOTS INTERCEPTION: After driving all the way down to the 2, Brady makes mistake #3, as Antonio Cromartie makes the interception in the end zone. It’s far, far from a Brady-like performance today, but the Pats have gotten away with it so far, thanks to the Chargers’ inability to capitalize. And, they don’t make anything out of this turnover. Turner gets a dozen on the first play, but San Diego can’t get anything else after that.

Another interesting stat mentioned by Nantz - Brady hadn’t thrown an interception in the red zone since Champ Bailey’s interception in the playoff two seasons ago. Until the pick by Cromartie, Brady had thrown 62 touchdowns and no picks in the red zone - now that, my friends, is the epitome of efficiency.

CHARGERS FIELD GOAL: Seau makes a huge play to stop Turner for a one-yard loss, and Kaeding comes on for his fourth field goal. He connects on another chip shot to pull the Chargers within two, but once again, San Diego fails to get into the end zone and fully capitalize on the turnover. Instead of going up the middle on that 3rd down, Turner went outside and made it all too easy for Seau to get him. But, three’s better than nothing, and it’s a two-point game. SCORE: New England 14, San Diego 12 (8:36 3rd).

3rd and 1, Patriots 4: Brady gets intercepted for the second time, this time by Drayton Florence, who makes the pick and returns it into Patriots territory.

After a four-yard run by Turner, Rivers hits Jackson for a 17-yard gain to the 28, and after an incompletion, Rivers throws to the right sideline for Chambers, who makes yet another great catch, getting the feet in for a 15-yard gain to the 13.

After a six-yard completion to Jackson, Turner goes for three yards, and now the Chargers are facing a huge third and short inside the five.

It might not be often that this can be said, but Philip Rivers, on one good knee, is outperforming Tom Brady right now, thanks to Chambers and Jackson, who have combined for 11 catches and 148 yards.

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HALFTIME: New England 14, San Diego 9

Hobbs’ kick return runs the final eight seconds off of the clock, and the teams go into the locker room with New England a half away from another Super Bowl.

The Chargers have made quite a game of it, more so than most probably expected. Rivers has made several good throws, but at the same time, there are those two costly interceptions. He’s moving well, even with the injured knee, and contrary to what Shannon Sharpe and Bill Cowher are saying, there’s no real reason to bench Rivers, unless he starts visibly showing the effects of the injury.

It might not be a bad idea to go to Volek for a drive or two, just to give Rivers a breather and to allow him to rest the knee, but past that, it’s on Rivers’ shoulders. He doesn’t need to go down the field for 30 and 40 yard gains if the 10 and 15-yard passes are there on a regular basis. I do understand the reasoning that you wouldn’t necessarily want to risk not having your guy for the Super Bowl, but at the same time, you don’t want to think to yourself what could have been - and that’s one that could go both ways, for and against Rivers.

And, even though L.T. has been a non-factor, thanks to his nagging injury, Michael Turner and Darren Sproles have chipped in just fine.

However, if you’re San Diego, you have got to be ruing the fact that you didn’t get a touchdown on at least one of those three scoring drives. I’ll say it again, seven trumps three, and with New England getting the ball starting the second half, seven could trump three for the third time, which would put the Chargers up against the proverbial wall.

CHARGERS FIELD GOAL: Kaeding puts his previous history behind him and boots the kick through to close the deficit. That one was huge both for Kaeding and for the Chargers, who overcame the two interceptions to trim the Patriots’ lead heading into the locker room. SCORE: New England 14, San Diego 9 (0:08 2nd).

4th and 1, Chargers 22: No one’s open on the third down, so Rivers has to throw it away, and now Kaeding has to try a 40-yarder.

Interesting stat brought up by Nantz - Kaeding’s 0 of 4 from 40 yards or longer in the playoffs. So, Belichick smartly takes the timeout to ice him.

3rd and 1, Patriots 22: Great play by Brandon Meriweather to stop Sproles from getting the first down, or getting out of bounds, and the Chargers are forced to take their third timeout.

1st and 10, Patriots 31: Little guy, big impact. After going for six on first down, Sproles goes up the middle and gets loose for a 26-yard run. He loses the ball at the end of the play, and the initial ruling is that he was down, but it’s going to be reviewed. If the ruling is upheld, and it should be, San Diego will have more than enough time to go for a touchdown.

The ref confirms the call, and on the next play, Gates makes his first catch to give San Diego a 2nd and 2 from the 23. The Chargers take their second timeout with 26 seconds left in the half.

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4th and 2, Patriots 31: And the Chargers the stop, as Brady’s throw is out of the reach of Welker. The Chargers will have pretty good field position, after Hanson’s punt and Sproles’ return puts it at the 35.

3rd and 2, Patriots 31: We reach the two-minute warning after Faulk turns another seemingly short gain into good yardage, this time on the ground. His eight-yard gain gives New England a big third and short coming out of the timeout. If San Diego can make the stop, it’ll give them the ball in reasonable field position with a chance to put the two interceptions behind them and close the deficit before halftime.

CHARGERS INTERCEPTION: After making a good throw to Chambers for a 15-yard gain, Rivers makes a poor one, underthrowing Chambers on a deep throw, and Ellis Hobbs makes the pick at the 26. Hobbs fumbles it, but one of his teammates fall on it, and the Patriots are in business yet again. There’s nothing wrong with taking chances, but that was an unnecessary risk right there, especially since San Diego had been moving the ball so well with the intermediate throws.

PATRIOTS TOUCHDOWN: Well, that certainly didn’t take long, did it? Brady hits Faulk on another one of those short passes that gets turned into a first-down gain, and then Brady hits Jabar Gaffney over the middle, who walks into the end zone for the touchdown. Seven trumps three yet again. SCORE: New England 14, San Diego 6 (3:51 2nd).

CHARGERS INTERCEPTION: Momentum swings into the Patriots’ favor big time, as Rivers throws it over the middle for Chambers, and Asante Samuel wins the battle for the ball, and puts New England in business at the Chargers’ 24 yard line.

1st and 10, Chargers 15: L.T.’s still on the sidelines, but his backups are coming up big thus far. On third and 3, Rivers hits Sproles, and the little guy doesn’t get much, but it’s enough for the first down.

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4th and 3, Chargers 40: After a five-yard run by Maroney and a short completion to Welker, Brady tries to go over the middle for Moss, but Jammer covers it well, and the Pats have to punt it.

On the punt, Kelley Washington makes an athletic play to pin the Chargers deep, leaping to keep the ball out of the end zone and allowing it to be downed at the 4.

1st and 10, Chargers 47: Brady loves hitting Faulk on those short passes to the left, and it works for a solid gain yet again, as Faulk goes down the sideline for 13 yards and a first down into San Diego territory.

1st and 10, Patriots 40: Kaeding has another short kickoff, and it’s excellent field position for the Pats yet again, as Hobbs returns it 24 yards to the 40.

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CHARGERS FIELD GOAL: Rivers is using the feet again, scrambling out of pressure to hit Chambers, but Ellis Hobbs makes a great tackle to keep Chambers from getting anything more than three yards, and it’s Kaeding time again. This attempt is a lot prettier than the first, but just like the first, it goes through the uprights, and that’s all that matters. SCORE: New England 7, San Diego 6 (9:14 2nd).

The Chargers are moving the ball well, and it might be a surprise that it’s largely in part to the passing game (and some good field position as well). But, if they want to give themselves the best chance to topple the Pats, these scoring opportunities are going to have to be turned into touchdowns, and not just field goals every time around.

3rd and Goal, Chargers 9: Rivers is moving without a problem, as he rolls to his right and tries to hit Gates in the end zone, but the pass is knocked down.

San Diego calls a timeout before the 3rd down play, so I have time for a quick break to bring you a message from our sponsors, Hillshire Farms. Go meat!

1st and Goal, Chargers 9: On third and 1 from the 30, Rivers hits Jackson yet again, this time going over the middle to his big receiver for 21 yards.

1st and 10, Chargers 39: Rivers hits Jackson for the second straight play, putting another one where only his guy can get it, as Jackson makes the grab on the right sideline for 16 yards and another first down.

1st and 10, Chargers 45: L.T. doesn’t come out for the third straight series, and on the first play, Rivers hits Vincent Jackson for a 15-yard gain.

Steve Tasker says it’s a coach’s decision, not that L.T.’s aggravated the injury. But, even without their star in there, the Chargers are moving the ball well thus far.

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PATRIOTS TOUCHDOWN: The Patriots do what the Patriots do, and respond to the Chargers’ score with one of their own. Seven trumps three 10 times out of 10, and New England puts a touchdown in the board through Maroney, who scores from a yard out. SCORE: New England 7, San Diego 3 (13:48 2nd).

This is why the Patriots are so good, and why it’s so easy to hate them. They don’t get frazzled. Brady throws an interception that results in a Chargers lead, and then they come back and get a touchdown.

1st and 10: Chargers 9: That question gets answered with the former, as Maroney gets it and takes it outside instead of up the middle, and gets seven yards and the first down. Great blocking by the Patriots on the play, and smart running by Maroney, who finally gets a substantial gain.

The first quarter ends with New England with a 3rd and 1 from the Chargers 16, after a 4-yard pass to Faulk and a 5-yard pass to Stallworth. Will they run it or pass it on this play?

1st and 10, Chargers 25: On two consecutive plays, lackluster defending by the Chargers helps New England get into scoring position. On the first, Moss gets the ball on a run, and the Chargers seem to have it handled, but Moss finds a way through for a 14-yard gain to the 39. Then, Brady hits Kevin Faulk on a short toss, and Faulk gets another 14 down the 25, on a play that should have been stopped much quicker.

1st and 10, Patriots 47: The Patriots get good field position courtesy of a short kick by Kaeding, who’s back handling the kickoffs after Dave Rayner had been handling the duties. After a nine-yard completion and an incompletion, the Pats decide to run it this time around on third and short, and it’s Heath Evans bulling up the middle for the first down.

CHARGERS FIELD GOAL: Chambers almost makes another great catch on third and goal from the 8, but is ruled out of bounds in the back of the end zone, and rightly so. But, Kaeding comes on and kicks the chip shot to put the first points on the board. SCORE: San Diego 3, New England 0 (2:55 1st).

Now it’s time for Brady and the Patriots to respond. Tommy Boy hasn’t looked very good at all thus far, but you can’t expect that to go on for too long.

1st and 10, Patriots 10: Chambers has been Rivers’ favorite target today, and he makes his third catch of the quarter, and all three have been for first downs, as he gets the feet down for a 10-yard gain.

1st and 10, Patriots 20: Turner goes for five, and at the end of the play, Vince Wilfork gets flagged for a 15-yard face mask to put the Chargers into the red zone.

CHARGERS INTERCEPTION: Brady makes a rare mistake on the Patriots’ first play of the next drive, as Jammers picks him off at the 40, and the Chargers are once again starting in excellent field position.

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4th and 11, Patriots 49: Rivers goes down for the first time today, as former Charger Junior Seau brings him down for the sack, and it’s three possessions, three punts for the Chargers.

1st and 10, Patriots 48: On one play, Turner shows why he’s so highly thought of, steamrolling through the Patriots defense for a 12-yard gain, and the Chargers are into New England territory again. It looks like we’ll be seeing quite a lot of Turner today.

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4th and 2, Patriots 34: After Quentin Jammer gets flagged for illegal contact on Donte’ Stallworth, Maroney runs for no gain, and Brady hits Kyle Brady for eight yards. On the 3rd and 2, the Patriots go for the pass instead of the run, and San Diego puts the pressure on and forces an incompletion.

Maroney hasn’t made anything happen on his first three carries, gaining only two yards, so it isn’t a complete surprise that they went for the throw on that play.

Hanson’s punt is returned by Cromartie to the 40-yard line, and the Chargers have good field position yet again.

1st and 10, Patriots 21: The Patriots have their first first down of the game, as Brady hits Welker underneath, and he uses his quickness to get a 12-yard gain and move the sticks.

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4th and 9, Patriots 41: After an incompletion and a short pass to L.T., Rivers tries to hit Legedu Naanee, but the coverage is good, and the Chargers have to punt for the second straight time.

Even though the drive didn’t result in points, it’s encouraging for Chargers fans to see Rivers moving pretty well on his bum knee. I’m sure he isn’t feeling too hot right now - then again, no one is in these conditions - but it doesn’t seem to be affecting him thus far. He hasn’t had to take any hits on it though, so we’ll see what happens if/when he does.

1st and 10, Patriots 42: It’s Rivers to Chambers again for another first down, and the Chargers are into New England territory.

1st and 10, Chargers 44: And we’ve got our first completion of the game, as Rivers hits Chris Chambers on the left sideline for a 20-yard gain, and San Diego’s in business at the 44. Great throw by Rivers to put it where only his man could get it, and he got it.

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4th and 10, Patriots 30: Last week, the Patriots came out on their first drive and responded to Jacksonville’s opening touchdown with one of their own. This time around, Superman looks pretty human, as he throws two incompletions - matching his total from all of last week - and it’s a three and out for New England as well.

It’s a pretty windy day out there, so success in the running game might be of a lot more importance today. Even without Tomlinson, who won’t start the second drive, the Chargers need to make good use of theirs, with Michael Turner and Darren Sproles.

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4th and 5, Chargers 29: After two runs by Tomlinson, Rivers drops back for his first throw, which is low to Darren Sproles and incomplete. On the punt, Mike Scifres gets run into, but the penalty isn’t enough for a first down, and Scifres’ second punt is a much better one, and puts the Pats inside their 30.

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