Did you know ...

That Tom Brady attempted 51 passes in last year's AFC Divisional playoff game in San Diego, completing 27 of them, leading the Patriots to a 24-21 come-from-behind win. In the previous 26 playoff games in which a quarterback attempted 50 or more passes in regulation, all of them lost.

FOXBORO - A year ago, the "Goliath" tag was on the other team.

The San Diego Chargers, who had won 10 straight regular season games, were not only the best team in NFL heading into last January, they were loaded, healthy and rested.

The Patriots, with "Moe, Larry and Curley" at wide receiver, were good. The Colts were very good. And the Chargers were, well, great.

The Chargers weren't destroying teams as the Patriots did for much of 2007, but they were as dominating.

They had the game's best player in running back LaDainian Tomlinson (an NFL record 31 TDs), and maybe the game's best defensive player in linebacker Shawne Merriman (2005 NFL Defensive MVP).

"(Tomlinson's) the MVP. I don't know how you could be any more complete than that," said Patriots coach Bill Belichick a few days before last year's game. "He's looked pretty good to me, unfortunately, every time we've seen him. We're usually looking at the back of his jersey. We haven't done very well against him. He's killed a lot of people besides us, and he's killed us."

The Patriots were no slouches either, finishing the regular season at 12-4, but they had to go the Wild Card route before making the cross country trip to San Diego.

But it was pretty much agreed that a Patriots win over this hungry, new-kid-on-the-Super-Bowl block was going to need intervention, probably from above.

The game played out that way.

The Chargers were on the verge of blowing the Patriots out, leading 14-3 with 2:04 remaining in the half after a debilitating touchdown following a 58-yard run by Tomlinson.

But Brady led the Patriots on an 11-play drive, which included overcoming a holding penalty, narrowing the score to 14-10 at the half.

The Chargers, whose pressure defense made it look like the better team for most of the game, took another "insurmountable" lead, 21-13, in the fourth quarter.

But again Brady pulled the comeback, though he had help. After throwing a horrendous interception on the Chargers side of the field, Pats receiver Troy Brown stripped the Charger defender, getting the ball back.

It was one extra chance too many for Brady, who threw three interceptions. He not only tied it up with a pass to Reche Caldwell followed by a direct snap to Kevin Faulk for the conversion, but Brady also hit Caldwell for a 49-yarder, on third down, to set up the shocking game-winning field goal.

It was probably the hardest-fought victory in the Belichick Era, evidenced by the victory celebration on the field. It wasn't a miracle, but it sure felt like one.

"I said to Tedy (Bruschi), 'Man, that was not easy.' He says to me, 'They never are buddy, they never are," said Brady afterward.

On the other side it was definitely one of the toughest losses in Tomlinson's Hall of Fame career.

"I'd be lying if I said it was easy to get over that loss," said Tomlinson during the off-season. "That hurt. That really hurt. But in this game you have to move. You have to wait for another chance."

Presto.

Nearly a year later, Tomlinson and the Chargers have a chance for retribution. In fact, it's eerily similar to what took place last Jan. 15.

This time the Chargers come in as big underdogs. They come in with injuries to key players. They come in as fodder for the Super Bowl favorite.

And the Patriots are overwhelming favorites with the reigning MVP, Pro Bowl players throughout the roster, and home field (and weather) advantage.

What the Chargers have going for themselves heading into Sunday's game at Gillette Stadium is a winning streak of eight games.

And, maybe best of all, they are supreme underdogs - even more than Jacksonville was a week ago.

Like the Patriots of a year ago, this year's Chargers don't have much to lose. A Bolts win would make up for a lot of heartache January 2007, when they were the best team in the NFL.

The fact that the Chargers are here at all is a story by itself. After an opening day win (14-3 over the Super Bowl finalists, the Chicago Bears) they lost three straight games, including a 38-14 blowout to the Patriots, the score of which at one point was 24-0.

"I really thought even when we were 1-3, I still in my mind thought we were one of the better teams in the AFC," said Tomlinson. "I always felt like on any given day, we could play with anybody and have a chance to win the game."

Also unlike the Patriots of a year ago, the Chargers overcame a lot of adversity. Their coach, Marty Schottenheimer, was replaced after disagreements over his son coaching. His replacement, Norv Turner, was perceived as a pushover.

The slow start didn't help.

"The way this team hung together against a lot of adversity," said Turner, "is what impresses me most. This game (against the Colts) was a great example ... The (slow) start, too ... I am so proud of this team."

What the Chargers have going for them is that the Patriots are a lot like the Colts. They are high-powered with a Hall of Fame quarterback.

And their defense was able to force two big turnovers from Peyton Manning near the goal line. They also made a big stop just before the 2-minute warning on fourth down.

Belichick apparently took notice.

"Over the last half of the season they have been the best team in the league," said Belichick. "They made plays on both sides of the ball and special teams. Trust me, this is a great team."

nnn

You can e-mail Bill Burt at bburt@eagletribune.com.