There's no doubt that the Chargers lost their game to the Patriots. The punt-return fumble was especially crucial. But can I just ask whether the conspiracy theorists are going to come out of the woodwork for this game like they do every year in the NBA?

I refer, of course, to those two awfully borderline personal fouls called against the Chargers. One Charger appeared to be celebrating a bit too much, but how could the referee not notice that it was the Patriot player who reached out and shoved the Charger? And as to the push in the pile-up that led to the Chargers having to kick off from their own fifteen yard line, I can't remember a game in which I haven't seen a little extra roughness in the pile, especially with players trying to get opponents off of their teammates (which is exactly what was happening there).

I'm of the belief that if you're going into an inherently rough game and calling unnecessary roughness on somebody, that roughness had better be damn well unnecessary, not maybe-probably-kinda unnecessary.

This is all particularly true if you're going to ignore "Roy" Hobbs taking a swing at a Charger receiver downfield blocking on a running play. If you ignore things like that (which happen multiple times every single game), then you have to ignore all the marginal stuff.

But, boy, it was all worth it to see Indianapolis and New England back together again, right? yawn