San Diego Strangers

It was a strange game.

It was a game in which Indianapolis Colts' Peyton Manning, of all people, threw not one, not two, not three, not four, not five, but SIX interceptions, three of which were hauled in by San Diego Chargers' cornerback Antonio Cromartie, who a week earlier set an unbeatable record by returning a missed field goal 109 yards for a touchdown against the Minnesota Vikings.

In the second quarter, rookie linebacker Clint Session made an acrobatic interception by picking off a Philip Rivers' throw in the endzone just before the ball hit the ground, and returned it all the way inside the Chargers' 10-yard line. However, the play was called dead by an "inadvertent whistle" when one of the referees mistakenly saw that the ball had hit the ground and blew the whistle. So instead of having a First-and-10 inside the Chargers' 10-yard line, the Colts had to start at their own 20.

And if that is not strange enough, Adam Vinatieri, one of the best clutch kickers in history, missed two chip shot field goals at either halves of the game. Had he made either of those, the visiting Colts would have won the game, which finished 21-23 to the Chargers.

When the Colts came to within two points after once falling behind 0-23 with only 17 offensive players dressed and even losing star defensive end Dwight Freeney with a foot injury, you had a gut feeling that it was going to be Manning's and Vinatieri's time to shine again.

But strangely they didn't deliver.

With all the gifts from the Colts, the Chargers offense managed only a touchdown and a field goal the entire game on their own, as their passing and rushing offense were held to below 100 yards. Instead, they had to thank Darren Sproles, a diminutive return specialist who returned a kick-off and a punt for two of their three touchdowns.

While the Colts have lost two in a row after winning their first seven games, they should feel good about themselves for dominating the game in terms of yardage and getting oh-so close to an impressive comeback, despite the absence of Marvin Harrison and Dallas Clark, the two key weapons for Manning.

While the Chargers may have won the game, they should not be over optimistic by regarding the win as the turning point of their disappointing season. They know that they were just being lucky as they had a hard time moving the ball, with LaDanian Tomlinson being literally a non-factor in the game.

A really strange game indeed.