Chargers vs. Steelers (pre-game) (UPDATED: post-game)

... just wanted to squeeze this one in before kickoff.

By the numbers:

- The Chargers are 0-13 at Pittsburgh in the regular season but 2-0 in the playoffs.

- The Chargers are 5-3 in their last 8 games where the temperature at kickoff was 40 degrees F. or below.

Here's a bold prediction sure to go wrong: the conventional wisdom has it that Darren Sproles and Micheal Bennett will need to step it up against the Steelers to cover for the absence of an injured LaDanian Tomlinson. We believe, however, that Jacob Hester, currently flying under the radar, will be this afternoon's X-factor.

We watched quite a bit of him when he played at LSU and the rookie running back's hit-the-line-at-full-speed, downhill running style lends itself to Pittsburgh's physical defense and the outdoor elements that will be confronting the Chargers today.

Of course, if Sproles gets loose for a buck-twenty and Bennett pops a 50-yarder in an upset victory for the Bolts, we will gladly submit to commenter criticism of how dense-to-the-obvious we are.

UPDATE #1: Ron Rivera giveth, Ron Rivera taketh away. After dialing up a masterful game plan that was accompanied by faithful execution last Saturday night against the Colts, Rivera, again, had his charges playing excellent defense against the Steelers for the 1st 27 or so minutes of the 1st half. They had bottled up the running game and had put decent pressure on Pittsburgh QB, Ben Roethlisberger thus keeping the Steeler offense out of the end zone.

But in keeping with a theme we have seen all year, the Chargers dropped 7 and laid back in a soft zone and allowed the Steelers to march right down the field on their last possession of the half to not only take a 14-10 lead but seize momentum that had been largely in the balance and which was from that point forward, never relinquished. Half, Game, Season over. 35-24.

In a game where momentum meant everything, they just made too many mistakes in the 2nd half to recover from the missed opportunities in the 1st.

We'll refrain from making any sweeping assessments of this team right now but as Bill Parcells always says, "You are what your record is" and this Charger team finishes 9-9... a .500 record for a team that got shafted early in the season, slept-walked through the middle of the season and caught some breaks while finally awakening from that slumber late.

A .500 record for a .500 team that demonstrated on a week to week basis that they could beat anybody in the league but also lose to anybody in the league. The 2008 San Diego Chargers: the living embodiment of the NFL's cherished "parity".

Somewhere Pete Rozelle is smiling.