The Chargers had a chance to take the lead over the Ravens in December, when a holding penalty on Russell Okung backed them up, and they fumbled on the next play.
The Chargers had a chance to kneel out the clock yesterday, when a holding penalty on Russell Okung gave the Ravens a final chance with the ball.
Though he might be the only one, Russell Okung sees a pattern.
“Roger Goodell doesn’t want us to come home,” Okung said, via Eric Williams of ESPN.com. “That’s all I can say.”
The Chargers finished 12-4 in the regular season, and another win would have given them the first seed in the AFC playoffs. And while the prospect of the league showing playoff games from a precious little 27,000-seat soccer stadium might not be their preference, it’s hard to imagine the league being able to pull off a sophisticated conspiracy to make such a plot work. (Last night’s display in Chicago ought to be proof of that.)
But the Chargers were going on the road in the divisional round regardless, so Okung’s just voicing some frustration, and doing it in an unusual manner. Their only shot at another home game would be if they beat the Patriots and the sixth-seeded Colts beat the Chiefs, which isn’t the most ridiculous leap of logic we’ve seen so far today.
Besides, the Chargers are now 8-1 on the road this year (that loss right up the road against the Rams), 9-0 when then leave L.A. (they won a “home” game in London), and 5-3 at their actual home, so you’d think they wouldn’t mind.