Wake Us When The Playoffs Start

You'd think a 24-21 game that included a nearly successful onside kick in the final seconds would be a thriller.
You'd be wrong.
After watching the Chargers' victory over the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, the only feeling we're left with is a sense of drowsiness.
Maybe we can thank the 10 a.m. kickoff for that.
But really, this 3 1/2-hour yawner was more dull than a Sandy Alderson press conference.
The most interesting thing about this game was the unveiling of the new cold-weather uniforms for NFL officiating crews. The refs' new threads feature weird-looking black pants (pictured above) that look like they might have been inspired by watching too much Dodgeball on ESPN8, The Ocho.
The fact that the refs' wardrobe was the highlight of the day tells you what kind of day it was.
It was an odd game that seemed at times like nobody wanted to win.
Perhaps in a preview of things to come in the playoffs, Philip Rivers tried his best to give the game away, but Bills quarterback J.P. Losman was even more generous.
Rivers, who as a youngster played excitable neighbor "Ricky" on "My Three Sons," fumbled three times but thanks to his teammates' quick hands, only one of them was recovered by Buffalo. Losman, on the other hand, was intercepted twice and also lost a fumble.
For a game such as this, we won't bore ourselves to death with details, but a couple of things worth noting:

• Tight end Antonio Gates finally is starting to earn his paycheck. The big fella with the Oprah-like rear end was the game's leading receiver with seven catches for 90 yards and a touchdown, only his sixth score of the year.
• To give you an idea how every little thing has been going the Bolts' way this year, with 4:35 left in the third quarter, they reached a milestone. When Kris Dielman was called for a chop block, it marked the first time all season that the Chargers have had a first down negated by a penalty. For some teams out there (take a bow, Raiders), a streak such as this wouldn't last past the first quarter of the season opener.

Of course, Sunday's win coupled with the Colts' loss means the Chargers and Indianapolis are now tied for the AFC's best record at 10-2.
That might get some Bolts fans to start making travel arrangements for Super Bowl XLI in Miami.
But the only thing this game will inspire us to do is take a nap.