 How fitting was it that game number two seventy two the season finale when and you're in lose and you're out Would be one of the best games of the season if not One of the best games an NFL History hold on don't freak out Let me explain. It's not the best in the sense of the score was 59 to 51 Both quarterbacks know for 500 yards It no, but if you're a fan of the NFL and you love playoff scenarios And you love the mind games and the brilliancy and the intellect and the cerebral drama The thought process behind every single play every single situation You could say that this Chargers and Raiders game is one of the best an NFL History give you guys an analogy with baseball. I don't know if there's any baseball fans watching right now I'm somewhat of a baseball fan, but the NFL is like my bread and butter I love to watch every game of the NFL with baseball just way too many games and I just like to watch it I don't really break down the game as much as other people that have actually played the sport of baseball or have actually coached or Have trained athletes or anything like that that are involved in the game of baseball They love watching baseball because they love seeing the pitcher the catcher the outfield everyone like you You ask any baseball fan you ask them. Why do you love baseball? So much and they say there's so much going on even though it seems slow to the average person There's so much So many scenarios so many things happening right now in the game that if you were involved with it that you played it That's you coached in it You can pick up on all of those things and you love watching everything happen when I saw the Chargers and the Raiders play Every situation I could relate to that baseball fan Every single play every single drive has weight to it Let me break it down even further and give you some reasons in order on why it was the best in the situation When in your in lose if you're out. Oh, and if you tie You both get it Okay, if we tie we both get it. Okay, sure the Steelers are left out Who cares like a tie is a tie we we get it, but that's unlikely. That's not likely to happen But let's go forward to the next reason we're gonna get back to that unlikely to happen scenario When the score was 14 to 29 Action backtrack when it was 14 to 26 in my mind. I was thinking to myself like, okay a tie probably not gonna happen That's 12 points at this point The Chargers are just playing for a win like you got to come back You got to win this game and then the Raiders kick a field goal. It's 14 to 29 You have two possessions for the Chargers. You have to make every play in every drive count from that moment forward for the Chargers You score touchdown 20 to 29. Let's go for it on two See if we need an onside kick it. What's our situation going forward? They get the two-point conversion 2229 and then the final drive of regulation moving down the field So many plays it took forever. It seemed like the last minute of a basketball game Where a minute can last like 15 minutes That's what it was the Chargers out of bound passes timeouts rushing to the line Fourth of downs incomplete passes Now these fourth downs, they weren't just fourth and one fourth and two run the ball They were fourth and eight fourth and ten and Justin Herbert was zipping them into his receiver Coral routes Mike Williams track them my first read the whole time zip it first down Multiple first down after first out after first down that kept you on the edge of your seat Like is this actually going to go into overtime? And guess what it did on the final play of regulation as The time expired as a clock expired Mike Williams with the touchdown There are so many points just in regulation Where it could have been a game-ending play. Oh, if they don't get this fourth down, it's over If they don't get this touchdown, it's over But it happened and then it went to overtime and Steelers fans were really really Really at the point where they're like, man, is this really happening right now? Are we getting the short end of the stick Reggie Wayne as actually as a matter of fact Every hashtag Pittsburgh player or fan butthole so tight right now and I agree Chris consworth was actually talking to himself talking to Al Michaels during the broadcast was saying My mind is just thinking and I and as soon as he said I was like, hey Chris I know exactly what you're gonna say And I know exactly what millions and millions of the people are gonna say that are watching this game right now I know exactly what's gonna happen and it was this and we actually took a poll on Twitter should the Chargers and Raiders Just kneel on every play of overtime 73% of you guys agreed and 26% of you said no, I just play for the win But I'm thinking to myself the Raiders get the ball first. Just keep kneeling keep kneeling keep kneeling Punnett the Chargers get the idea. Oh, they're just surrending. They just want to they just want to go ahead and play for the tie The Chargers kneel kneel kneel punt it Raiders kneel kneel kneel punt it That could have happened But they took the safe approach they Ran the ball sometimes the past it which was kind of risky but they ran with a ball and Eventually it got to the point where each team was able to kick a field goal and tie it up And the Steelers fans were getting nervous and nervous and nervous like I don't care who it is someone score a touchdown someone score a field goal and Let's just walk away. Let us go into the postseason and the other team goes in the postseason as well So the situation behind everything was one of the reasons why I made it one of the best games ever The fact that every play and every drive mattered that the game could have ended on multiple plays Made it one of the best games ever the fact that the Chargers were able to come back You have to come back to act aspect of it a 15-point deficit made it one of the best games ever The fact that you can kneel on every play and tie this game made it one of the best games ever The Chargers took a time out when the Raiders were just playing for that tie Rich Basacia interim head coach said Whatever it takes to get in the postseason hinting that he could be okay with the tie They were running the ball running the ball running the ball Brandon Staley timeouts To get his run defense adjusted and That's according to Derek Carr shifted the mindset of the Raiders Why'd they call a timeout? There's 30 seconds left. We're playing for a tie Let's just go ahead and both tied this game and walk out of here Brandon Staley postgame press conference, which I kind of agree with Stated that they were playing to make the field goal longer and longer for Daniel Carlson so that they can't win Good thinking by Staley Raiders misinterpreted it and started playing for the win at that point It seemed like even though it was the next play was a run play The Chargers defense wasn't able to stop him Daniel Carlson comes out with three seconds left on the clock and over time as the time expired and over time If the field goal hits the Raiders win if it misses It's a tie and the Raiders and the Chargers make the postseason Daniel Carlson makes it and the Raiders are in and the Chargers are out all of this encompassed is the reason Why this game is one of the greatest games that we've ever seen in history again It's not because there's a high scoring 62 to 59 score It wasn't because Justin Herbert and Derek are both through for 500 yards It's because of the baseball fan and that analogy of how you're an NFL fan Every scenario every situation you're on the edge of your seat whether you're a fan of these teams You're not a fan of these teams. You love good football You analyze every single aspect every single scenario every single situation. What is going to happen? Next this could happen and it would be the first time that we ever see anything like this in NFL history And to make it even better for the Raiders particularly why it's one of the greatest ever Some of the greatest games in NFL history have some weight to it As far as the situation and how they got to this spot for instance the New York Giants in 2011 there are seven and seven People wrote them off people didn't believe on them. They won two straight games won the NFC East We're able to make it as an underdog and make a postseason run to beat the favorites New England Patriots in the Super Bowl The Raiders were six and seven at one point Won four straight games to make the postseason With an interim head coach the first time that this has happened in 60 years And hitter interim head coach making a playoff appearance They've dealt with the offseason drama off the field drama I should say with John Gruden getting fired with Henry rugs and Damon Arnett two first round picks Dealing with legal troubles. They've been through it all the injuries as well to Darren Waller and yet here they are saying Just win baby That is why this game is one of the best intellectual brilliant mind games that you will ever see in NFL history Raiders Congrats to you for making the playoffs