It's often a tenuous relationship between a team and its fans, anyway, but nothing aggravates the faithful more than the slow evaporation of a dream.

Chargers supporters thought they were getting a championship-contending run this season. They got the Cleveland Browns West.

The Chargers did Sunday night what they are known best for this season. They lost a close game - this one on Adam Vinatieri's 51-yard field as time expired, giving Indianapolis a 23-20 victory.

It was the second time this year the Chargers lost at Qualcomm Stadium on the last play of the game. Carolina opened the season by throwing a touchdown pass on the final tick, right through the heart of the San Diego defense, to set the tone for this underwhelming fall.

Vinatieri's field goal Sunday went right through the heart of a deflated fan base.

"What's the matter with you?" one of their ticket holders yelled down from the stands as the Chargers, most of them head down, exited the field.

Heck if they know.

"It's just the kind of season it's been," said star running back LaDainian Tomlinson.

Quarterback Philip Rivers didn't have an answer, either, but proved he's good at math.

"We have seven losses by, what, 28 points?" he asked in his postgame obituary, hitting the number on the head. "It's just gone that way.

"I'm not saying it's bad luck. It's the lack of a few big plays, here and there."

Or the elimination of a few big mistakes, here and there.

When you keep losing the way the Chargers have, every mistake gets magnified, often into an "L."

Rivers was stripped of the ball on a third-down play at the Indianapolis 7-yard line, ending the first drive of the second half, just when it looked as if the Chargers were going to take control of a 10-10 game.

Instead, the Colts used the momentum swing to score the next 10 points.

After the Chargers clawed back into the game late in the fourth quarter, trailing 20-17, they drove quickly to the Indianapolis 37-yard line.

But a false start penalty and a dropped pass by Tomlinson killed the drive.

Nate Kaeding tied the game, 20-20, with a 47-yard field with 1:30 left. But even that felt like a mistake.

"I told (teammate Darren) Sproles we left them too much time," said Tomlinson, who didn't have to be a prophet to assume future Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning would be able to navigate Indianapolis into field-goal range for the game-winner.

Afterward, even attempts at optimism had a hollow sound to them.

"I mean, a last-second field goal," lamented safety Eric Weddle. "We're not that far off."

That's just it. They're always "not far off."

Maybe that's why the latest loss carried a whiff of miserable finality, as if we are witnessing the unstoppable meltdown of an NFL powerhouse.

They are still two games back of Denver with five to play, including one with the Broncos. But they couldn't even take advantage of the biggest break they got all day - Oakland stunning the Broncos in Denver. Chargers fans even cheered the hated Raiders on the big screen on the stadium scoreboard.

Who knew that a Raiders victory would be the happiest moment of the day?

Of course, as Tomlinson might say, that's just the kind of season it's been.

Reach Gregg Patton at 951-368-9597 or gpatton@PE.com