Ahoy Me Hardie's! 2023 Long Island EFL AFC Championship Game: Indianapolis Colts (8-1) vs Los Angeles Chargers (7-1)

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WINSLOW SR., CHARGERS ROPE COLTS IN AFC CG! HEADED TO LIEFL SUPER BOWL XVIII!

         INDIANAPOLIS COLTS (8-1) VS LOS ANGELES CHARGERS (7-1)      

December 30, 2023. The AFC Championship Game between the Indianapolis Colts (8-1) who are coming off an uplifting win over the Miami Dolphins, and the Los Angeles Chargers (7-1),  should give Coach Joe Bino all the motivation he needs to play the Chargers. Bino is all about football culture, and brining a coaching attitude to the grid. For today's game Bino coach decided that the Colts were so good yesterday that they are hard to ignore, so he decided to relief Bobby Biggs from any more coaching, and rather, he will coach the Colts himself against coach Ed Viggs Los Angeles Chargers. This is quite an AFC Championship Game matchup with some big stars in our league playing head-to-head. After what the Colts did to the Miami Dolphins, Bino needs to be able to take the next step against the best coach in the league, Ed Viggs, the master of preparation, and Viggs must prepare to somehow contain and stay ahead of Colts running back and LIEFL Offensive Player of the Year, Joseph Addai. Addai is on a huge streak! He will have the great blocking of LIEFL-All Pro Robert Mathis and Mike Curtis in front of him. The Colts have to come up big on defense today in what is expected to be a very tight game. Bobby Biggs was fine sitting on the sideline, although he wished he had an opportunity. Coach of Viggs is going with LaDainian Tomlinson to return the football, but he said that as the game develops he will adjust.  Nobody knows what's up his sleeve for this game.

The AFC Championship game is underway!

 

The Chargers hit the field with an attitude on the opening kickoff with coach Viggs shaking things up on kick offs. Viggs switched things around a bit, giving other people a chance. LaDainian Tomlinson assumed the leadership responsibility of returning the opening kick off which he took back 36 yards. On first down, the Chargers exploded through the Colts defense for a 32 yard first down! The Colts stopped the Chargers on the next set of  downs, but on second down it was lights out! Tomlinson exploded for 32 more yards into the end zone to give the Chargers the lead 7-0! The Colts are going to have to bring their best game against the Chargers, just like they did with Miami! 

 

On the Colts first kick return it was Joseph Addai who exploded 64 yards to the Chargers 36-yard line. On the very next play it was Addai who ran right through the gut of the Chargers defense and into the end zone for a 36-yard touchdown scamper to tie the score at 7-7, as the first quarter came to a close!

On the Chargers next return, Viggs decided to switch up the returns by using Kellen Winslow Sr., This is Viggs using psychology again pressuring Bino to think. Winslow had just two receptions for a total 85 yards this season without a touchdown. So after a speedy 49 yard kick return by Winslow, LaDainian Tomlinson picked up where he let off on the Chargers first series. LT busted free on first down for a 26-yard first down! The Colts came up big stopping Tomlinson on second down. On third down Tomlinson burst through the line for a 25 yard touchdown run to give the Chargers the lead 14-7! 

Joseph Addai ran back a beautiful 53 yard kick return on the Colts next possession, and he nearly broke free for a hundred yard Sprint, but the Chargers are speedy. Lance Alworth tackled Addai from behind at the 53 yard line on a great tackle. On first down, Addai exploded for a 45-yard run to the Los Angeles seven yardline! What an electrifying play!

One advantage Los Angeles might have is speed. They just seem to be invested in every play, but that's not going to brush aside the number one offensive player in the league in Joseph Addai. On second down, the Colts offense had a colossal collision with the Chargers but Addai snuck through the LA front three for his second touchdown of the game to tie the score 14-14, with 9:26 remaining in the first half of this AFC Championship Game. What a matchup!

On Los Angeles next kick return they switched it up with Lance Alworth, but then Viggs changed his mind again. It is Kellen Winslow Sr., again as The return Man unpacked 71-yards on the kick return, giving the Chargers great field position at the 29-yard line of Indianapolis. The Colts defense buried the Chargers on the first two runs, and then on third down they did a great job holding off LaDainian Tomlinson again, forcing a fourth down pass play. On first down, Coach Viggs connected with Winslow Sr., who broke free at the 29-yard line and in for the score to give the Chargers the 21-14 lead over Indianapolis, with 2:14 remaining in the half! The Chargers are in full beast mode!

Indianapolis need a second to regroup to try to slow the pace down. Joseph Addai returned the ball to the 46 yard line on the kick return. On first down, Bino went to the air connecting with receiver Marvin Harrison who broke Free at the 47-yard line of the Colts charging 46-yards downfield to the 8 yard line of Los Angeles! The Chargers called a timeout with 1:02 remaining in the half. What a play by Harrison! On first down, Raymond Berry broke Free from the 8-yard line. Bino hit him with a great pass to tie the score 21-21 with :53 seconds left in the half!

The Chargers used their last time out of the first half. Los Angeles needs a huge play here to close the half! Indianapolis still has one time out left in the half if they need it. Unbelievable! This is why coach Viggs is a tremendous coach! Kellen Winslow Sr., found a way to squeak right through the center of the field for an absolutely incredible 100-yard kick return to give the Chargers the 28-21 lead, with 42 seconds remaining in the half and the Colts call a timeout, their last of the half! Wow! Winslow Sr., showing his starpower and the Chargers always seem to find the magic! This is a Chargers team who in 2018, made it to LIEFL Super Bowl XIV, losing to the Los Angeles Rams 31-28! They've won 

Wow!

Out of nowhere Kellen Winslow Sr., suddenly becomes the star of the first half with that kick return! And this is why the Chargers are so good because of the huge playmakers they have who perform under immense pressure! Nobody is betting against the Colts in this situation. We saw what they did against Miami.

HALFTIME 

On the ensuing kickoff to open the third quarter, Indianapolis switched it up a bit. Surprisingly, they handed the ball over to Marvin Harrison who ran a beautiful fast 60-yard kick return to the Los Angeles 40 yard line tackled by Chargers tackle, Corey Clark. On first down, Indy gave the ball back to Joseph Addai. Addai ran for three yards, but on second down Addai exploded around the left end into the end zone for his third touchdown of the game to tie the score at 28-28! Electrifying!  And the third quarter has 10:35 remaining! Wow what a play! This is a game of elite plastic athletes all the way with great matchups! Either one of these teams would represent the AFC just fine in a Super Bowl.

On the Chargers next kick return, it was Kellen Winslow Sr., again! The tight end buzzed the ball back 36-yards. On first down, LaDainian Tomlinson exploded for 47-yards bringing the ball to the 17 yard line of the Colts, but the Indianapolis defense kicked in big time! Linebacker Mike Curtis anchored the inside game with Robert Mathis on defense! On third down the Chargers had to air it out. With 2:35 remaining in the third quarter it was Kellen Winslow Sr., again, out of nowhere, connecting on a 24-yard touchdown pass to give the Chargers the lead 35-28! Unreal! They are going crazy here at the Nautical Mile in Freeport, NY!

Joseph Addai isn't finished! He stormed back a clean speedy 45 yard kick return, and he was hit hard by LA linebacker Junior Seau. The pace of the game is not as fast as the Dolphins-Colts AFC DCG game, but the room is as loud! Ed Viggs is doing his work like a master and Bino is right there with him!

The fourth quarter started at the Colts own 45-yard line with Joseph Addai in the backfield. On first down the Colts lost 10-yards when Chargers BIG lineman LIEFL-All Pro Earl Faison broke through the line and through Colts lineman Bubba Smith and Quentin Nelson double-blocking him. There's always criticism in any League, and the criticism of the Indianapolis Colts in this game before it started of course came from our host Johnny-Freeport who said that Bino won't finish with a win. No comments here. On second down, it was Faison again who exploded through Quinton Nelson, tackling Addai in the backfield for another 10 yard loss. And the Colts have to get to the Chargers 45 yard line for a first down after losing 20 yards. Right now the Colts at their own 25 and they're forced to go up in the air. What a play! Bino hit Addai on a 36-yard first down pass! Exactly what Indy needed, as they bring the ball to the Chargers 39-yard line with 10:24 remaining in the game!

 

On first down the Chargers defense stuffed the Colts again. But on second down, Joseph Addai busted through to the Chargers 35 yard line! One play later, Addai broke free for a beautiful 24-yard first down to the 11-yard line of LA, with 5:26 remaining in the game! The Colts have to tie this game and Bino is trying to kill the clock to keep the ball out of the hands of the quadruple threat that the Chargers have.

Another unbelievable play by Joseph Addai! Addai ran right over Lance Alworth for a 7-yard touchdown run to tie the score at 35-35, with 236 remaining in the game!

What a stunning kick return by Kellen Winslow Sr., who returned his second 100-yard touchdown of the game, and this one was unbelievable! He blazed right through the left side of the field and made it look easy as the placed goes wild!  The Chargers take the lead 42-35 in a tremendous AFC Championship Game! The Colts took their first time out of the second half with 1:15 remaining in the game.

Kellen Winslow Sr., saw not a single kick return this season. Coach Viggs always has his master plan, and this time under the pressure of the AFC CG! Electric football is a work of art for him!

 

What a play! Back to the 1:15 remaining in the game. Indy speedy return man Marvin Harrison, ran back a stunner 72-yards to the 28-yard line of the Chargers, and the Colts call their last time out with :46 seconds remaining in the game. With the game on the line, Marvin Harrison breaks free from Chuck Muncie at the 28th and in for the touchdown on a great pass by Joe Bino to tie the score at 42-42, with 36 seconds left, and the LA Chargers call their first time out! What a game! It will be so hard to watch either of these teams lose!

Amazing on the last kick return of the game Kellen Winslow Sr., blew the doors off the Colts defense by running a 58-yard return. The Chargers let the clock run down. They still had one timeout remaining, but they decided to kick the 42 yard field goal to win the game 45-42!

The Los Angeles Chargers (8-1) are going to the Super Bowl again! What a heartbreak for the Colts!

The Indianapolis Colts had a great tournament! They just came up short of time, and could that be because Bino might have been a little selfish? How would Bobby Biggs have played against coach Viggs in this game? We will never know. Indy has not a thing to be ashamed of, they played hard!

It's official the AFC Championship game MVP goes to Kellen Winslow Sr., Winslow had eight touches for 467-yards, with four touchdowns, including two 100-yard kick returns for touchdowns!

The Chargers played a phenomenal game. Every year they are in the mix, but this might be their strongest team yet. What Kellen Winslow Sr., did today earned him the AFC Championship Game MVP Trophy! The way Coach Ed Viggs executed, pulling off this surprise player to rise to the level of the game is nothing short of sensational. Bino was outgunned! Viggs said, "Bino's Colts are one tough team. In this game, you can't be afraid to take risks. My element of surprise was KW! He did all the damage in this game. It really opened eyes and hats off to the Colts who played a hell of a football game and let's not forget what Marvin Harrison. He was silent but deadly just like Winslow. Two great players! The Chargers are going to the Super Bowl!"

It's unbelievable that Lance Alworth didn't touch the ball a single time today and he was their main kick return guy all year, but Viggs knew better than we did. It's unbelievable what he did. LaDainian Tomlinson rushed for 163-yards with two touchdowns, and his Chargers offensive barrage!

Let's not forget Joseph Addai. Addai had 12 carries for 168 rushing yards, with four touchdowns, but he also had four kick returns for 241 yards totaling 17 touches for 445 all purpose yards, with four touchdowns! Marvin Harrison played a beautiful game with four touches for 206 yards and a touchdown as the Colts totaled 22 touches for 659 all purpose yards with six touchdowns!