MVN: Most Valuable Network

"Victory is sweetest when you've known defeat."

                                      - Malcolm S. Forbes

Has there been a sweeter victory?  After a mediocre season, having known more defeat than any other team in the playoffs, facing the league's MVP, the Chargers pull out a win in dramatic fashion.  Unbelievable. 

Darren Sproles, the mightiest little man in the business, came through huge when it mattered most, scoring the winning TD in overtime.  As each quarter passed Sproles earned himself another million-dollars in his upcoming free-agent contract negotiations. 

Mike Scifres, far-and-away the best punter in the league, played the greatest game ever played by a punter in the history of the league.  Without Scifres performance, the defense doesn't look nearly as good.  Check this out- Peyton Manning threw for over 300-yards, yet the Colts rarely threatened to score.  In fact, Peyton's only TD-pass was a surprise attack against a defense caught sleeping.  The Chargers' defense owes Scifres their postseason bonuses.

That's not to say that the defense didn't earn this victory.  Their aggressiveness, their fire, and more importantly their ability to keep the Colts' offensive line guessing left Peyton with a subpar completion percentage for an MVP QB and ultimately another playoff defeat.  While Sproles and Scifres were the game's MVP's, DC Ron Rivera and Stephen Cooper were the brains behind the operation.

Next up are either the Steelers or the Titans.  I think I'd prefer the Steelers if I had a choice- we are already fairly familiar with them (because of our previous week-11 matchup) and their QB has been banged-up all season long.  The Chargers could have beaten them in week-11- this improved Chargers team could definitely beat them now.  But the Colts were the team that scared me the most, so with them out of the way I think we'll be OK against anyone.

The victories only get better from here, Chargers fans!  Let the thunder roll on!