SAN DIEGO -- Anyone for Marty Bawl? Instead of smiling Chargers eyes, there were moist ones revealed. Instead of high fives, there were low chins. Instead of the Chargers welcoming the Indianapolis Colts next Sunday with a Super Bowl trip at stake, a super long offseason awaits.

Once again, the Chargers proved Sunday afternoon that they have losing playoff games down Pat.

The Chargers fell to the New England Patriots 24-21 before a team-record crowd of 68,810 at Qualcomm Stadium. Rookie Stephen Gostkowski's 31-yard field goal with 1:10 left was the difference.

"We forgot what losing felt like," Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers said.

That 14-2 regular season? Yeah, great. That AFC West title and 10-game winning streak? Ah, swell. That undefeated home record and the AFC's No. 1 seed? It all circles the drain and doesn't leave a ring.

Just like the Chargers won't get their first Super Bowl ring this season.

"We were the best team in the league," linebacker Randall Godfrey said.

Big deal. They weren't the best team on a chilly January afternoon better suited for Foxborough, Mass., than Friars Road. That's why the Patriots advanced, and the Chargers kicked the dirt with the might of Nate Kaeding's last-gasp, 54-yard field-goal attempt.

It fell short.

Ditto the dreams of the 14-3 Chargers.

"We're obviously very disappointed in the outcome of the football game," coach Marty Schottenheimer said after his sixth straight playoff loss, for a 5-13 postseason mark. "But this group had a hell of a year."

Exactly. Which explains why this loss stuck in the Chargers' throats, because they didn't play with their heads.

"I was disappointed to see the mental mistakes we made," safety Marlon McCree said. "I know it's the playoffs and there is a lot of pressure, but it comes down to the fact we did not make the plays we needed to make."

McCree made what should have been the game's biggest play.

The Chargers were clutching a 21-13 fourth-quarter lead and McCree was cradling the football after picking off a Tom Brady pass at the Chargers' 31-yard line on fourth down. If McCree had fallen with the ball -- or even batted it down -- the Chargers would have had possession with only six minutes remaining and an MVP in LaDainian Tomlinson to milk the clock.

But McCree took off, not knowing Troy Brown was on his bumper. The savvy veteran poked the ball from McCree, and it was recovered by Reche Caldwell.

Remember that name -- Caldwell.

He was on the receiving end of a Brady strike from 4 yards, pulling the Pats to within two. A direct snap to Kevin Faulk then fooled the Chargers on the conversion -- Schottenheimer was frantically trying to call timeout -- to tie the game with 4:36 to go.

The Chargers' offense then traveled nowhere. It went three-and-out, and the clutch Brady was in business.

"It's never easy," he said, and no one believed him.

Faced with a third-and-10 at his 34, Brady found Caldwell, the former Charger, in single coverage against Quentin Jammer down the right sideline. Brady lofted a high ball, which came with it a sinking feeling.

"He pushed off, but I can't complain because they were out there letting us play football," Jammer said. "I won most of my battles out there on the field, but that was one battle I lost. What can you do? Brady put it in a perfect spot.

"When I turned to look back at the ball, I thought I had a chance to jump. When I was fixing to jump, Reche kind of nudged me. He caught me at the perfect time. What can you do?"

Not much, except move the chains after Caldwell's 49-yard catch to the Chargers' 17. Four plays later, Gostkowski lined up for the game-winning kick.

It went through the uprights and right to the Chargers' gut. Brady had collected his 24th fourth-quarter, game-winning drive and sixth in the playoffs.

But the Chargers didn't deserve another round -- not after turning the ball over four times and committing a boatload of errors.

"You look at the game and see how many mistakes as a team we made," Jammer said. "We got guys dropping balls, we got guys fumbling, penalties, unsportsmanlike conduct. We got so much stuff happening, that you just kind of wonder what is going on?"

Not the Chargers.

Of course, Mission Valley was magical when the Chargers took a 14-10 halftime lead on rushing TDs by Tomlinson and Michael Turner. When Tomlinson scored his second one, the Chargers were up 21-13, with about eight minutes left.

But then came McCree's fumble, Caldwell's long reception and Gostkowski's winning boot.

"I think we all share the disappointment," said Tomlinson, who collected a combined 187 yards, 123 rushing. "I mean, what can you say?"

Nothing but see you next year.

Contact staff writer Jay Paris at jparis8@aol.com. Comment at sports.nctimes.com.

Chargers fade in the fourth, Patriots win 24-21

By: North County Times -

SAN DIEGO -- The New England Patriots brought their experience and the San Diego Chargers brought back memories of losing in the clutch as the Patriots won their AFC divisional playoff game 24-21 at Qualcomm Stadium.

First Quarter

A wild first quarter at Qualcomm Stadium certainly wasn't lacking in drama as the New England Patriots and San Diego Chargers got their AFC divisional playoff game off to a blazing -- if low-scoring -- start.

The Patriots took a 3-0 lead on a 50-yard field goal by Stephen Gostkowski.

The biggest moment of the first quarter for the Chargers came on a 4th and 11 play at the Patriots' 30-yard line.

Marty Schottenheimer, often criticized for his conservative play calling, eschewed a 47-yard field goal try, and Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers was sacked by Mike Vrabel.

The first quarter started with numerous missed opportunities for the Chargers -- most of them in the form of dropped balls.

Chargers backup defensive back Clinton Hart dropped what looked like a sure interception after Quentin Jammer deflected a Tom Brady pass. *Chargers receiver Eric Parker also had a couple of drops -- although one of them looked to be a catch and a fumble.

Parker's name was called again and again in the first half. He made a 21-yard catch for a first down that put the Chargers at New England's 29-yard line. That drive stalled, in part because Parker slipped and fell for a 7-yard loss on a reverse.

Second quarter

New England quarterback Tom Brady led the Patriots on a late scoring drive to make the score 14-10 at halftime after a second quarter dominated by the Chagers during Sunday's AFC divisional playoff game at Qualcomm Stadium.

Brady completed a 6-yard pass to Jabar Gaffney with eight seconds left to cap the first-half scoring. *The rest of the second quarter was all Chargers. They scored two touchdowns, on runs of 1 and 6 yards by LaDaininn Tomlinson and Michael Turner, respectively, to take 14-3.

Turner's touchdown was set up by a 58-yard reception by Tomlinson on a screen pass.

Tomlinson scored after an apparent catch and fumble by Antonio Gates was overturned and ruled an incompletion.

Third quarter

The Patriots got a 34-yard field goal from Gostkowski to pull within 14-13 in a third quarter filled with miscues.

A muffed punt by Parker gave the Patriots the ball at the 31-yard line. Drayton Florence was called for a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty after New England fumbled on third down, and Gostkowski followed with his second field goal of the game.

The third quarter ended with Rosevelt Colvin intercepting a Rivers throw.

Fourth quarter

A 31-yard field goal by Gostkowski with 1:10 left put the Patriots ahead 24-21, and Chargers kicker Nate Kaeding missed a 54-yarder with eight seconds left.

Midway through the fourth quarter, LaDainian Tomlinson scored on a 3-yard touchdown run to put the Chargers ahead 21-13.

In one of the biggest plays in a game filled with them, Marlon McCree intercepted a Brady pass and then fumbled. That set up a 4-yard touchdown pass from Brady to former Charger Reche Caldwell.

The Patriots tied the game with 4:36 left on a 2-point conversion run by Kevin Faulk, who in a bit of trickery took the direct snap and sliced into the end zone.

Stephen Gostkowski knocked one through the uprights for his third field goal of the day to take the lead 24-21.

Chargers send in Nate Kaeding in the last seconds of a playoff game. Enough said.