The San Diego Chargers' Christmas Miracle

I believed the hype. I really did.

My hometown team, the San Diego Chargers, had the best talent in the NFL. The very, very best. They were loaded at every single position. This team was going to the Super Bowl with maybe only the Patriots having anything to say about.

Then, they lost their first game. They lost their second game. Uh oh.

But then, they beat the Jets handily in their third game, and got by the Raiders in game No. 4. Things were making getting better. The Chargers were 2-2 and headed to Miami, a team that was a laughing stock in 2007 having won just one measly game during that season.

And there, in Miami, they tanked.

Then, we Charger fans knew. If the Chargers couldn't beat the lowly Miami Dolphins five games into the season, then, it just wasn't going to happen. We just knew...really! (Note: as it turns out, the Dolphins are pretty good this year, but we didn't know that then...)

And sure enough, the team went 2-5 over their next seven games to stand at 4-8 after 12 games. It was over.

Except, oops, it wasn't quite over. After beating the Raiders in their 13th game, the Chargers stood at 5-8 while Denver was 8-5. The Chargers had to win all three of their remaining games and Denver had to lose all three of theirs. But serendipitously, the last game was a head-to-head matchup, so it was really two games, not three. But still...come on.

Well, it happened. It actually happened! Now the city is rocking. Not only does this last game mean something, we are actually favored! The talk shows are awash with ecstatic enthusiastic Charger fans who swear they never jumped off the bandwagon.

Already there are numerous sightings of fans wearing Tomlinson, Rivers, or Gates jerseys. Holiday parties on Dec. 28 are being converted to Charger watching parties instead. It happened. It really, really happened!

At this point, no one in San Diego is even concerned about the game itself. We are just overjoyed that this last game actually matters! A disappointing season may work out ok after all because heck, once a team makes the playoffs, anything can happen, right? So what if the defense has been shaky all year long.

With enough offense, we can win the Super Bowl! But that's getting too far ahead of ourselves. Again, all we really wanted here in San Diego was a chance and now, thanks to our very own surfer-dude Christmas Miracle, we got it.

Thank you NFL Christmas Santa Guy. We won't forget you!