There's a running theory that games are usually decided in 5 or 6 plays. I'm going to run down my (abbreviated) game log that I just wrote down to prove this point. This was a personal experiment for myself. It'll be up on my blog as well... SD Receives. SD throws an INT return for TD 7-0 Jets SD Receives and goes for a 6 min drive only to get a FG 7-3 Jets They drop an INT but recover a FUMB to make it 10-7. Jets. Chargers kick, intercept Favre pass for TD. 17-7. Chargers. Washington (Jets) returns a long punt and Jets score TD (17-14) Chargers. Onside kick SD recovers and scores a TD. 24-14 SD. SD INT Favre pass score TD. 31-14 Chargers. Jets have nice return. SD sack. Jets punt. --HALFTIME-- SD Receives. TD 38-14. Chargers sack and turnover on downs. SD punt. PI penalty Jets TD 38-20 chargers. 2 point conversion fails. Onside kick jets recover. Long bomb from Favre. SD sack. Drive ends in FG. 38-23. Chargers. Chargers receive, 63 yard bomb. Drive ends in TD. 45-23. Chargers. Jets drive ends in TD 45-29 Chargers. 2 point conversion fail. SD rec. punt. FG 48-29. Chargers. SD kickoff. Int pass. Kneel. --GAME-- The six plays that benefited the Chargers: The fumble recovery for TD & field goal. The interception for 7. The dumb onside kick move that backfired on the jets early in the game for 7 to SD. The favre thrown interception for 7 to SD. The jets drive ending in a field goal instead of 7. Chargers drives usually (always?) ending in 7 and not 3. There were other factors, of course, but these made the game for San Diego. If Favre didn't thow those picks or the Jets didn't have those turnovers or the onside kick actually worked (or the chargers failed to produce on any of those turnovers) the game would most likely have been vastly different.
