Martyball in Postseason Form

The Chargers must have been disoriented from the bye week. Coming off the two-week layoff, they must have been confused and misread the calendar and thought the playoffs started today.
That sure looked like a playoff performance from a Marty Schottenheimer team. In other words, a loss.
After dominating most of the game, and outnumbering the Ravens in just about every statistical category, the Chargers still found a way to trudge back to the locker room with a 16-13 loss Sunday.
The Ravens never led until the game-winning touchdown with 34 seconds left.
Philip Rivers and the offense started out looking explosive in marching down the field for an early 31-yard touchdown pass to Malcom Floyd. But after that, the offense never smelled the end zone again.
The Bolts were clinging to a 13-7 lead late in the fourth quarter and it actually seemed somewhat comfortable, considering the ineptness of the Baltimore offense. Then things got a little nutty. Pinned close to his own end zone, Bolts punter Mike Scifres got hammered after a fumbled snap, then the Bolts were forced to repunt because of a San Diego penalty. With Scifres hobbling in obvious pain, Schottenheimer chose to have his punter run out of the end zone for a safety rather than try a punt from that precarious spot.
So the safety made it 13-9 Bolts and suddenly the Ravens and their fans were feeling some confidence and momentum.
When the Ravens got the ball for their final possession in the closing minutes, quarterback Steve McNair calmly led his team right into the end zone, with little resistance from the Chargers' suddenly clueless defense. Tight end Todd Heap's 10-yard touchdown reception capped a six-play, 60-yard drive.
The Bolts' defense, which had stopped the Ravens all day, suddenly looked confused on the final drive and they picked a fine time to forget how to tackle.
"It came down to a missed tackle. I really tried to take his head off," linebacker Shawne Merriman said of Heap's TD.
Nice. Next time try attempting to tackle the guy rather than attempting to decapitate the guy.
Ravens fans must be wondering what they did to deserve this gift. They watched their team turn the ball over three times, as their offense generally looked awful for just about the entire day, yet they're now owners of a 4-0 record. Thanks to the Bolts.
This game smelled like so many Marty Schottenheimer playoff games, so at least the Bolts were thoughtful enough to prepare their fans for what's coming in a few months. Is there any doubt this team will provide another performance like this in January?
Oh, and Philip Rivers, nice touch, spiking the ball in disgust after getting sacked on the final play of the game. Your offensive linemen really like being shown up like that. Did you learn that move from Doug Flutie?