'Oh, This is Perfect!'

Think Martha Coakley fans have been having some sleepless nights? It could be worse. You could be a San Diego Chargers fan.

The guy in the powder-blue Shawne Merriman jersey and the powder-blue Chargers hat stopped in his tracks on the way out of Qualcomm Stadium. He closed his eyes and clenched his fists, as if overtaken by a demon.

“Un-(expletive)-believable!” he growled.

That pretty much nailed the sentiment yesterday as the crowd of 69,498, the largest in team history, streamed out — or is it steamed out? — of the gates after the favored Chargers had been beaten 17-14 by a New York Jets team that most analysts considered far inferior.

As if on cue, it began to rain just as the clock ticked down to zero.

“Oh, this is perfect!” groused a man looking up to the sky. “Just perfect!”

With an explosive offense putting up huge numbers and the team riding an 11-game winning streak going into the playoffs, expectations were higher than ever. It figured then that the devastation was palpable.

Kids were crying. One well-dressed, middle-aged woman put together a string of profanity that would make a Hells Angel blush. And, of course, there was the old standby when at a loss for something constructive: “They should fire that idiot coach!”

How many gift baskets will Jet fans be sending to Nate Kaeding?