A Chicano In Paris

A Chicano In Paris

From the Sidelines, Paris

Chargering

2 AM, 4 Picks, and That Old Familiar Feeling

Rudy Martinez's avatar
Rudy Martinez
Jan 12, 2025
∙ Paid

Watching my favorite team implode against the Houston Texans last night - kickoff was 2230 local - was, at first, infuriating, but then oddly calming.

The world is changing, my hometown is in flames… but my beloved Chargers are still chargering.

When the Chargers started off their first drive moving the ball through the Texan defense like a hot knife through soft butter I thought, well hot damn, we might be onto something. Then the Chargers settled for a field goal and I remembered, yep, this feels right.

When on the Texans very first offensive drive the Chargers intercepted CJ Stroud to give the offense the ball back and the offense marched right back down… for another field goal I just knew it was over. Anyone that has ever watched football - college or NFL - knows that field goals only win games at the end; settling for field goals early on in lieu of touchdowns is always, always a harbinger of bad things on the horizon.

And so it was.

The defense fought valiantly and was consisten…

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