It's Tough Being a Kicker - Chargers Fall to New England Patriots

It was a tough afternoon in San Diego as the Chargers watched their lead dissipate late in the fourth quarter to a relentless Patriot offense. The Chargers opened up the fourth quarter with a second touchdown from LaDainian Tomlinson, putting them up 21-13. It looked bleak for New England as they trailed by 8 points with 5 minutes to go.

With 41 yards to go, Brady threw a short pass that was intercepted by McRee. The Patriots were given a major break when McRee was immediately stripped of the ball. It was at that moment that Reche Caldwell caught a 4 yard touchdown pass from Brady to put them behind by two. The Patriots then followed this up with a 2-point conversion to tie the game at 21 points with 4:36 to go.

As the Chargers hustled to push their way down the field they were met by strong defense. They were ultimately unable to reach field goal position and turned possession over to the Patriots. With only 2:40 remaining, Tom Brady threw an an astonishing 45-yard over-the-shoulder pass to Caldwell to place the Patriots within kicking distance. Steven Waskowski drilled a 31-yard field goal leaving San Diego 3 points behind.

With less than 2 minutes left on the clock, the Chargers acted quickly to put themselves within FG distance. At 8 seconds remaining, Nate Kaeding -- untested in field goal wins -- missed the critical 54-yard kick, extinguishing any hopes of moving into overtime.

24-21 -- A brutal upset for SoCal.

AP Photo