Ineptitude Reigns Supreme
The Monday Night Football matchup between the Chargers and the Chiefs on Halloween offered all the entertainment one could possibly expect from a single football game. That's exactly how it should be: a game between two also-rans with middling records and no reasonable expectation of competing for playoff positioning should exist purely for our enjoyment, a clash of violent acts for the sake of violence, like the gladiators of old.
The game was relatively serious and competitive for three quarters, but the coaches must have gotten the edict from NFL commish Roger Goodell: "We're losing them! Quick, jazz it up! Add some eye gouging... your jobs depend on it!"
So, in that final quarter, hilarity ensued. First came the emergence of Chargers third-string running back Curtis Brinkley as a star: injures to first and second backs Jeremy Tolbert and Ryan Matthews necessitated Brinkley coming into the game in the fourth quarter with almost no professional experience and the game on the line. He responded magnificently, catching a long reception, vaulting the line to score a TD and catching the 2-point conversion to tie the game.
When the Chargers got the ball again, he was back to his acrobatics, the momentum fully on the Chargers' side as they drove down the field. Instead, while in the process of moving the ball to the center of the field to make the winning field goal try as easy as possible for the relatively untested kicker, Chargers' QB Philip Rivers fumbled the ball. The Chiefs recovered and drove down the field with a few quick pass plays before tossing an overtime-sealing interception.
At this point, it was clear that the team that could keep its foolish bumbling in check would be the winner. Fittingly, the Chiefs emerged victorious, clearly the karmic result of Rivers' egregious error with the game in the bag for his team. It may not have been a show of elite NFL talent, but it sure as hell was entertaining.
