Powder blue déjà vu: Like 2007, Chargers fight injuries, distractions

Chargers receiver Vincent Jackson will play Sunday against the Steelers despite being arrested Tuesday on suspicion of drunken driving. Robert Beck/SI

The San Diego Chargers had just completed the best game of their season and the best game of wild-card weekend, but wide receiver Vincent Jackson sat quietly at his locker. Jackson had run some nice routes against the Indianapolis Colts and thrown some tough downfield blocks, but receivers judge themselves on the passes they catch, and Jackson did not catch any.

Sensing his leading receiver might need a pick-me-up, Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers broke away from the celebration and spent several minutes talking with Jackson. Clearly, Rivers understood the Chargers needed Jackson at full strength -- physically and mentally -- to beat Pittsburgh this week and advance to the AFC Championship game.

Three days later, Jackson was arrested at 2:30 a.m. on suspicion of drunk driving. (He says if charges are filed, "I look forward to clearing my name and proving my innocence.")

It is impossible to say if the events are in any way related, if failing to catch a pass in a playoff game could have caused a 25-year-old receiver to act out. But for the second season in a row, the Chargers are making the playoffs about as dramatic and difficult for themselves as possible. "It's kind of like déjà vu for us," tight end Antonio Gates said.

Last year, Gates injured his toe on wild-card weekend and played hurt the rest of the way. This year, Gates played on a high-ankle sprain in the wild-card game and again is not at full strength for the divisional playoffs. Last year, tailback LaDainian Tomlinson injured his knee in the divisional round and was criticized for pulling himself out of the AFC championship game. This year, Tomlinson tore a tendon in his groin in the regular-season finale and was questioned again for pulling himself out of the wild-card game. Tomlinson's body language on the sideline may not be as bubbly as a cheerleader's, but there is no doubt he is feeling pain.

"I don't think anybody can know the frustration, to be honest with you," Tomlinson said. "It's tough dealing with it. I really, sometimes, just want to go home and stay at home and lock myself up and not even go into public. All my life, all I've ever wanted to do is play football and win a championship. And to feel so helpless -- to be at this point where we have a chance to do it and again I can't do anything about it, it's like I'm being punished for something."

The Chargers, as a group, must feel the same. Last year, Rivers tore his ACL in the divisional playoffs and then jabbered with fans in Indianapolis, giving the talking heads something to be outraged about. This year, Jackson has become the target, for a much more legitimate reason. Besides the obvious harms associated with drinking and driving, why was he out so late days before the biggest game of the season? A receiver who was shut out against the Colts probably could have spent some wee hours studying tape of the Steelers, who happen to have the stingiest defense in the NFL.

On most days, Jackson has a pretty desirable gig. Because the Chargers have the best tight end in the league and one of the best running backs of all time, he can draw single coverage. And because Jackson is 6-foot-5, few cornerbacks can contend with him. This season, Jackson caught a career-high 59 passes for 1,098 yards, thriving in the long shadows cast by Tomlinson and Gates. But on Sunday in Pittsburgh, the spotlight is on Jackson and so is the pressure. Tomlinson almost certainly will be out and Gates limited. Against the Steelers, the Chargers are not going to be able to advance the ball seven yards at a time. They need Jackson, their downfield threat, to grab at least one deep one.

It is easy to discount the Chargers at this point, a team that went 8-8 during the regular season and is now suffering from assorted injuries and distractions. But they were in no better shape during last year's divisional playoffs, when they beat the Colts with Billy Volek playing for Rivers and Michael Turner subbing for Tomlinson. Turner's performance in that game helped him land a free-agent contract with the Falcons and a starting role. Likewise, running back Darren Sproles is due to become an unrestricted free agent after the season, and his performance in relief of Tomlinson on Saturday likely made him millions. The Chargers are not expected to pay Sproles the going rate for an every-down running back, but with an encore in Pittsburgh, some other team may be willing to pony up.

Sproles will not rack up 328 all-purpose yards against the Steelers the way he did against the Colts, but like Jackson he is an explosive playmaker, and in a game in which the temperature and the final score could both be in the teens, a big play here and there could be the difference. In 1995, San Diego won at Pittsburgh in the AFC championship on the strength of two 43-yard touchdown passes -- one to tight end Alfred Pupunu and the other to wide receiver Tony Martin, which put the Chargers ahead for good. In order to replicate that result, someone will have to reprise Martin's role, and Jackson is the most logical candidate.

He has had, largely by his own doing, a miserable week. To recap: He was shut out by the Colts, he was arrested by San Diego police and he spent Tuesday morning in a jail. But one good thing did happen to Jackson this week, even if he did not fully celebrate it at the time. The Chargers earned a chance to play another game, which means Jackson gets a chance to pick up the team he has let down.

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