Was It That Obvious That The NFL Wanted The Colts To Win? Abso-F'n-Lutely.

Tony Dungy and the Colts didn't just have God on their side, they also had the refs in their pocket.
It's rare that I find myself aware of a game being called to the advantage of a particular team when my team is not involved. Most games are called fairly and it's only those who are emotionally attached to the outcome that can find bias in a fairly called game. Since I don't give a shit about the teams, I usually lack opinion about the outcome of the 50-50 calls and unless they are blown in an absurd fashion. Today's Colts - Chargers game was different. The refs did everything in their power to keep the Colts in that game and it was only by the grace of Volek that the Chargers were able to pull it out.

First, I should probably note that I was pulling for the Colts, which was hard for me to do because they are one of my least favorite teams. The reasons I was pulling for them was because: A.) I wanted to see the two best teams play next weekend, and B.) I think the Chargers are the most loathsome bunch of pricks on the face of the earth (more on that later). But despite the fact that I was blatantly pulling for the Colts, it couldn't have been more clear that the refs were giving them every single call out there. The list I have is in no way exhaustive, but here's a taste from my memory of the game: the fake hold on Cromartie's interception return for a touchdown, the mythical pass interference on Hart in the 4th quarter, the several no calls on Indy pass interference or the constant holding of Merriman and Phillips. It was unreal what Indy was getting away with and almost even more amazing that the Chargers were able to pull out the victory.

Now because I don't have a complete list of incidents available (hopefully someone with a little more internet savvy and who Tivo'd the game will come up a larger list), I can't really add much more to what went on but I can say that more than a couple people were on the same page while watching that game (and I'm not just talking about Norv Turner). You gotta give the Volek and the Chargers credit for taking on the Colts, the pumped in noise and the refs all in one sitting. That win was really an amazing feat.