This Time, a Game Was All They Lost

Okay, it wasn't numerology. The people who naively believe the supernatural had something to do with this need to look at Saturday's final score, 35-14. And don't tell me, "Surely, Sean would have wanted us to lose by that many points." Enough.

But it was probably a mixture of everything else above. There is no question Taylor's death became a bonding experience for this team, and anyone who thinks otherwise is just plain cynical and ignorant to the inner workings of a locker room. And whatever wrong strings Gibbs pulled the past four seasons, he pulled the right ones when it mattered. He was indeed the right coach at the right time for this team. Same with Collins, who was the perfect backup quarterback to lead the resurgence.

The bottom line is, they got here. That needs to be enough after losing a teammate.

However bad the team's inspired legion of fans feel about this loss, they need to remember what Portis and Moss said on the final day of the season, that camaraderie and hope grew from real loss.

Gibbs walked into the locker room afterward and told his players he was proud of everything they overcame this season. When Chris Samuels was asked if his coach was coming back, he shot a quizzical glance, wondering if he missed something. "He's coming back," Samuels said. There was an unmistakable certainty in the voice of one of the players closest to Gibbs.

The gut here is the only way Gibbs would not return was if this team miraculously won the Super Bowl, not merely advanced that far. In his mind, there is still work to be done.

If some of these players are honest with themselves, there is also a genuine grieving process to go through.

"Most people could bury themselves in their work, but he was everywhere you looked," Antwaan Randle El said. "Sean's locker was still there. He was in the film we watched. Of course there will be some mourning in the offseason, all the times you can't just pick up the phone and talk to him."

What to make of the end of this memorable run?

"This?" Randle El said. "We can get over this."