Perhaps years from now, Eric Decker and Peyton Manning can laugh about that night in San Diego when Decker tripped over the 46-yard line.
In the moment, there was nothing funny about it for the Denver Broncos.
Midway through the second quarter Monday night, Manning connected on a deep ball with Decker, who had nothing but green in front of him. It should've been a walk-in, 85-yard touchdown to cut the Broncos' deficit to three points.
Instead, Decker lost his balance and crashed to the turf. The Broncos were forced to settle for a 55-yard gain. Three plays later, Manning's miscommunication with wide receiver Matt Willis led to an 80-yard pick six by Chargers cornerback Quentin Jammer.
Decker's moment of clumsiness amounted to a 14-point swing -- a cataclysmic turn of events for the Broncos.
The cherry on Denver's dirt sundae? Manning's woeful tackle attempt during Jammer's return probably is a .gif on 400 sports-related websites by now.
That, and the Broncos rallied to win 35-24, with Decker grabbing five more passes, including one for a touchdown.
Follow Dan Hanzus on Twitter @danhanzus.
