Marty didn't lose the 2006 AFC Title game due to being conservative, he lost it because Marlon McCree was an idiot.
In the final game of the divisional playoffs, the
New England Patriots faced the
San Diego Chargers team, who were unbeaten at home in the regular season. The Chargers' roster included league
MVP running back
LaDainian Tomlinson, who broke several league records, nine Pro Bowlers, and five All-Pro players. However, four Chargers turnovers, three of which were converted into Patriots scoring drives, helped lead to a Chargers loss. San Diego lost despite outgaining the Patriots in rushing yards, 148-51 and total yards, 352-327, while also intercepting three passes from
Tom Brady.
In the first quarter, after San Diego coach
Marty Schottenheimer opted to go for it on 4th-and-11 instead of attempting a 47-yard field goal, quarterback
Philip Rivers lost a fumble while being sacked by
Mike Vrabel, setting up
Stephen Gostkowski's 51-yard field goal with 40 seconds left in the period. In the second quarter, Chargers receiver
Eric Parker's 13-yard punt return set up a 48-yard scoring drive that ended with
LaDainian Tomlinson's 2-yard touchdown run, giving his team a 7-3 lead. Then, on the Patriots' next drive, linebacker
Donnie Edwards intercepted a pass from Brady and returned it to the 41-yard line. But the Chargers ended up punting after Rivers was sacked on third down by defensive back
Artrell Hawkins. Later in the quarter, Tomlinson rushed twice for 13 yards and took a
screen pass 58 yards to the Patriots' 6-yard line, setting up a 6-yard touchdown run by
Michael Turner with 2:04 left in the half. New England responded with a 72-yard scoring drive, with receiver
Jabar Gaffney catching four passes for 46 yards, including a 7-yard touchdown reception with six seconds left in the half, cutting their deficit to 14-10.
In the second half, Brady threw his second interception of the game. But once again, the Chargers were forced to punt after Rivers was sacked on third down.
Mike Scifres' 36-yard punt pinned New England back at their own 2-yard line, and San Diego subsequently forced a punt, but Parker muffed the kick and New England's David Thomas recovered the fumble at the Chargers' 31-yard line. New England's drive seemed to stall after Brady fumbled on 3rd and 13. Patriots' tackle
Matt Light recovered it and Chargers defensive back
Drayton Florence drew a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for taunting Patriots tight end
Daniel Graham. The drive continued and Gostkowski eventually kicked a 34-yard field goal to cut their deficit to 14-13. Then, on San Diego's next drive, linebacker
Rosevelt Colvin intercepted a pass from Rivers at the New England 36-yard line. The Patriots then drove to the Chargers 41-yard line, but were halted there and had to punt. After the punt, Rivers completed two passes to tight end
Antonio Gates for 31 yards and a 31-yard pass to
Vincent Jackson, setting up Tomlinson's second rushing touchdown to give the Chargers an 8-point lead, 21-13.
New England responded by driving to San Diego's 41-yard line. On a fourth-down conversion attempt, Brady's pass was intercepted by
Marlon McCree, but
Troy Brown stripped the ball, and receiver
Reche Caldwell recovered it. Schottenheimer unsuccessfully challenged the play and lost a timeout. Four plays later, Brady threw a 4-yard touchdown pass to Caldwell. On the next play, running back
Kevin Faulk took a direct snap and scored the two-point conversion, tying the game. Then, after forcing a punt, Brady completed a 19-yard pass to
Daniel Graham. Two plays later, Caldwell caught a 49-yard strike down the right sideline to set up Gostkowski's third field goal to give them a 24-21 lead with only 1:10 left in the fourth quarter. With no timeouts left, San Diego drove to the Patriots 36-yard line on their final possession, but
Nate Kaeding's 54-yard field goal attempt fell short with three seconds remaining in the game.