(Sports Network) - Quick: name the all-time leader in playoff victories for a Chargers head coach.

If you're struggling to come up with an answer, you might find the task easier after San Diego's AFC Divisional Round tilt at the Pittsburgh Steelers this Sunday.

Should the Chargers win in Pittsburgh for the third straight time in their playoff history, one Norval Eugene Turner will stand alone at the top of a list which - let's face it - isn't littered with candidates for Canton.

After Saturday night's 23-17 overtime win over the Colts, Turner is already tied for the all-time San Diego lead in playoff wins at three, in just his second year on the job. Bobby Ross led the Bolts to the Super Bowl in 1994 and also won a postseason game in 1992, while Don Coryell won a playoff game each year from 1980 through 1982.

And though the mention of Norv's name still elicits something of a chuckle among the legions who fawn over our Belichicks, Dungys, and even Coughlins, it is time to face up to a hard truth for those of us who thought Turner was wholly undeserving of another head coaching job in the first place...he has done exactly what he was hired to do.

Let's remember that when Marty Schottenheimer was fired a month after the 2006 season, the implied reason for termination, other than the Baldwin/Basinger dynamic of his relationship with general manager A.J. Smith, was the team's consistent playoff failures.

The Chargers had gone a combined 35-13 in their final three years under Schottenheimer, an average of just under 12 per season, yet had no postseason victories to show for it.

Turner's directive upon being hired, in addition to being Smith's yes-man, was to end that drought, and even if he's done it the hard way, you can't dispute that the former Redskins (web | news) and Raiders wash-out has indeed done it.

One year after going 14-2 under Schottenheimer in 2006, San Diego started a head-scratching 5-5 in its first season under Turner. All of the "Norv can't coach" buzzards were circling, but Turner righted the ship and led the Bolts to a six-game winning streak to win the AFC West. Once in the playoffs, the Chargers won both a game they should have, against Tennessee, then went to Indianapolis and pulled off the franchise's biggest victory since it upset Pittsburgh in the 1994 AFC Championship.

That the team failed to stop the perceived buzzsaw that was the New England Patriots was hardly an indictment of Turner, and the fact that San Diego was expected to welcome back a high-quality team in 2008 was provided as evidence that Turner had finally - at last - hit his coaching stride.

Then the Chargers sunk to 4-8 following a slew of listless performances and narrow losses, and Smith was being asked regularly about the job status of a head coach who had seemingly squandered some of the best talent in the league.

But once again, Turner mobilized the troops at the last possible instant, reeling off four straight wins while the front-running Broncos completed a historic collapse to help the Chargers become the first 8-8 division-winner since Schottenheimer's 1985 Browns claimed the AFC Central.

Sure, the Chargers have lost 13 games in the past two years, contests that Belichick or Dungy or even Schottenheimer might have won, but who really cares?

When you're dangling on the precipice of your second straight AFC Championship appearance, should anyone even be talking about that Week 7 loss to the Bills?

Ultimately, coaches are judged by their ability to win in January, and though the team's first Super Bowl title has to date remained elusive, with a win on Sunday, no coach in Chargers history will have put the franchise within reasonable striking distance of that goal as often as Turner.

And for that, even a coach considered to be something of a chronic underachiever deserves a healthy share of praise.

Let's take a look at the week that will be in the National Football League:

NFL POWER POLL

The Sports Network's updated NFL Power Poll, which ranks all 32 league teams, can be found at:

http://www.sportsnetwork.com/default.asp?c=sportsnetwork&page=nfl/misc/nfl- poll.htm



THE GAMES

A decent start to the 2008 playoffs, as I went 3-1 in my picks and posted the same number against the spread. My only miss was in Chargers/Colts, and I have a feeling that if the overtime coin toss had gone the other way, I'd be sitting here gloating over 4-0. As it is, I'm now 162-98 (.623) straight-up and 138-113-9 (.547) when walking the line.



Baltimore (12-5) at Tennessee (13-3), Saturday, 4:30 (CBS) (Tennessee -3)

Storylines: Tennessee, which had the NFL's best record during the regular season, embarks on first playoff home game since beating the Steelers in a 2002 AFC Divisional Playoff...Titans' most recent playoff win came in the 2003 Wild Card Round against the Ravens...Rematch of Week 5 game in Baltimore, won by Titans 13-10...Titans tackle Albert Haynesworth (knee) and end Kyle Vanden Bosch (groin) both expected to play after missing the final two games of the regular season...Tennessee center Kevin Mawae (elbow) not likely to play on Saturday, and Leroy Harris would start in his place... Ravens' Joe Flacco attempting to become the first rookie quarterback in NFL history to win his first two playoff starts...Titans' Kerry Collins seeking first win as a playoff starter since 2000, when he led the Giants to the Super Bowl... Tennessee running back Chris Johnson makes the first postseason appearance of his NFL career...Ravens safety Ed Reed, who led the NFL in interceptions (9) during the regular season, has five two-INT games in his past seven appearances.

Fast Fact: The Titans' most recent home playoff loss occurred in the 2000 AFC Divisional Round, a 24-10 loss to the eventual Super Bowl Champion Baltimore Ravens.

Prediction: Titans injuries are concerning, and Ravens are playing some of the best ball in the league at the moment. Ravens 21, Titans 17.

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Arizona (10-7) at Carolina (12-4), Saturday, 8:00 (FOX) (Carolina -9)

Storylines: Rematch of Week 8 game in Carolina, won by Panthers, 27-23... Cardinals, who are 0-5 in the Eastern Time Zone this season, trying to win two playoff games in the same season for the first time in their 89-year history...Third home playoff game in Carolina history, and first since a Wild Card Round win over the Cowboys in 2003...Panthers were 8-0 at home during the 2008 regular season, the only NFL team to go undefeated through its home slate...Arizona wide receiver Anquan Boldin (hamstring) considered questionable after exiting in the first half of last week's 30-24 win over the Falcons...Panthers' most recent playoff win came in Chicago in 2005 Divisional Round...Cardinals are 0-5 against the Panthers since last beating them in 2002, and are 0-4 against Carolina quarterback Jake Delhomme...Carolina running backs DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart make the first postseason appearances of their respective careers...Panthers wide receivers Steve Smith and Muhsin Muhammad combined for the most receiving yards in a postseason by teammates (756) during team's 2003 playoff run.

Fast Fact: Kurt Warner's lone road playoff start came on Dec. 30, 2000, when he completed 24-of-40 passes for 365 yards, three touchdowns, and three interceptions in the Rams' 31-28 loss at the New Orleans Saints.

Prediction: Panthers could have it a little tougher than expected against a Cardinals team playing with house money. Panthers 31, Cardinals 24.

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Philadelphia (10-6-1) at N.Y. Giants (12-4), Sunday, 1:00 (FOX) (N.Y. Giants -4)

Storylines: Giants play their first postseason contest since winning Super Bowl XLII, and play their first home playoff game since a 23-0 home loss to the Panthers in the 2005 Wild Card Round...Giants trying to reach the NFC Championship in back-to-back years for the first time in team history...Third installment of NFC East rivalry this season, joining the Giants' 36-31 win at Philadelphia in Week 10 and the Eagles' 20-14 triumph at the Meadowlands in Week 14...Eagles attempting to advance to the NFC Championship for the fifth time in Andy Reid's 10 years as the team's head coach...Philadelphia quarterback Donovan McNabb has topped 300 passing yards in his past two playoff appearances, including in the team's loss to the Patriots in Super Bowl XXXIX...Giants were 7-1 at home this season, with the only loss coming to Philadelphia...Eagles cornerback Asante Samuel has an NFL-record four interceptions for touchdowns in the postseason, including one in last week's 26-14 win over the Vikings...Giants committed a league-low-tying 13 turnovers during the regular season.

Fast Fact: The Giants did not win a playoff game in the year that followed any of their first five NFL Championships (1934, 1938, 1956, 1986, 1990).

Prediction: Eagles will be game, but it's tough to imagine them winning at Giants Stadium twice in a six-week span. Giants 23, Eagles 16.

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San Diego (9-8) at Pittsburgh (12-4), Sunday, 4:45 (CBS) (Pittsburgh -6)

Storylines: Steelers seeking first playoff win of the Mike Tomlin era, first postseason victory since beating the Seahawks in Super Bowl XL, and first home playoff win since taking down the Jets in the 2004 Divisional Round...Rematch of Week 11 game in Pittsburgh, won by the Steelers in the only 11-10 game in NFL history...Chargers have won five straight since starting 4-8, and are attempting to become the first eight-loss team in NFL history to advance to the conference championship round...San Diego is 2-0 in postseason games at Pittsburgh all-time (1982, 1994), but is 0-13 in the Steel City during the regular season...Chargers running back LaDainian Tomlinson (groin) considered questionable after carrying only five times in last week's 23-17 overtime win over the Colts...Darren Sproles, who amassed 328 all-purpose yards and scored on a game-winning touchdown run in last week's 23-17 overtime win over the Colts, would start in Tomlinson's place...Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger expected to play despite being carted off field with a mild concussion in Week 17 win over the Browns...Pittsburgh outside linebacker James Harrison was named NFL Defensive Player of the Year by Associated Press on Monday.

Fast Fact: The Steelers are 4-1 in their last five appearances in the AFC Divisional Round, and have not lost a home game in a Divisional Playoff since falling to the Bills at Three Rivers Stadium (24-3) in 1992.

Prediction: The end of the line for San Diego, which won't gain much traction offensively against the top-ranked Pittsburgh "D". Steelers 27, Chargers 10.





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