AFC | San Diego reserves derail Indianapolis

INDIANAPOLIS — No LaDainian Tomlinson. No Philip Rivers. No problem.

The San Diego Chargers stunned the defending Super Bowl champion Indianapolis Colts 28-24 Sunday to earn a trip to New England to play the unbeaten Patriots in the AFC Championship Game.

In 2004, the Chargers won the AFC West with a 12-4 record, then lost their opening playoff game at home to the New York Jets. In 2006, the Chargers were the top seed in the AFC playoff bracket with a 14-2 record but lost their playoff opener at home to New England.

That wound up costing coach Marty Schottenheimer his job — and general manager A.J. Smith hired Norv Turner to take the Chargers to the next level.

"There's been a mind-set in our league that our guys are front-runners," Turner said. "That when it gets tough, when they play good teams, when they get challenged, they don't rise to the occasion.

"I think we've put that thing to rest. It's done. Forever. I've never been around a more gutsy performance by a team."

The deck was stacked dramatically against the Chargers. They were playing an Indianapolis team that was 7-1 at home. San Diego's Pro Bowl tight end Antonio Gates suffered a dislocated toe in a wild-card playoff victory over Tennessee and didn't practice all week.

But Gates took a pregame injection to numb the throbbing pain, and played throughout.

"If it was November, I probably wouldn't have played," said Gates, who caught two passes for 28 yards. "But there are no do-overs right now. That impacted my decision. This is a once in a lifetime situation and you want to embrace it."

Gates finished the game. Tomlinson, the NFL's leading rusher, did not. He left in the opening moments of the second quarter with a bruised knee. Rivers, the team's quarterback who threw three touchdown passes against the Colts, also didn't finish. He left early in the fourth quarter with a twisted knee.

Michael Turner replaced Tomlinson, rushing for 71 yards on 17 carries. Billy Volek replaced Rivers and manufactured the unlikely drive that extended San Diego's season.

With the Chargers trailing 24-21 and 10 minutes left, Volek completed three passes for 48 yards in an eight-play, 78-yard drive that produced the winning touchdown. Volek capped the drive with a 1-yard quarterback sneak.

"I've been with great players and great teams," said coach Norv Turner, who won Super Bowl rings in the 1990s as an offensive play-caller with Dallas. "I've been in games when one guy did it — but never games when everyone did it. I could go through our entire roster and name guys who stepped up and gave unusual efforts to get this thing done. This game was special."

The Colts marched inside the San Diego 40 on four occasions without scoring. Indianapolis drives ended at the San Diego 35, 23 and 4 on turnovers.

Then in the final three minutes, the Colts reached the San Diego 7 and had three cracks to score the go-ahead touchdown. But Peyton Manning was harassed into three incompletions and the Colts turned the ball over on downs.

Earlier, Manning threw two interceptions near the goal line, and Marvin Harrison fumbled after making his first reception in nearly three months.

"It was penalties, turnovers and too many big plays we gave up on defense," Colts coach Tony Dungy said after possibly his final game.

Dungy intends to discuss future plans with his wife, Lauren, before meeting again with owner Jim Irsay and team president Bill Polian; Dungy gave no timetable for a decision.

It's the third consecutive year Dungy has contemplated retirement.