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On a second-quarter drive in which the Giants held the ball for 10:35, they converted five, six, 10 and 18 yards.

“Unacceptable,” linebacker Stephen Cooper said.  “We had our chances to get off the field and we didn’t.  We were determined get it fixed.”

Get it fixed they did.  Eli Manning’s six-yard touchdown pass to Steve Smith that capped the long drive came with 4:20 remaining in the second quarter.  It was the last time the Chargers allowed a third down conversion for the rest of the day.

“We battled,” defensive end Luis Castillo said.  “We went out there in the first half and had some tough situations.  We gave up a long drive where they converted four 3rd downs.  It was a focus for us coming out of halftime and it was something we were able to improve on.”

After New York went 5-of-8 on third down through the first two quarters, they were 0-of-6 in the final two.  The Chargers’ third down stops included a pass break up on 3rd-and-9 from their own 19 yard line that forced a field goal.  And with the Giants threatening to put the game out of reach in the final two minutes, the Chargers again forced a field goal that set up the game winning drive. 

“It’s crucial to get off the field and get the offense the ball back,” safety Eric Weddle said. “That’s how you win games.  That fact that we shut them out on third down for the entire second half and made them settle for field goals, that’s something to be proud of.”

San Diego’s defensive success was a collective effort.  The front seven delivered five sacks and forced Eli Manning to move out of the pocket regularly.  The Chargers limited the big plays and thanks to tight coverage, Manning averaged just 8.6 yards per completion. 

“We were on top of everything,” Weddle said.  “We drove the curls and slants.  They can dink and dunk on us but they aren’t going to beat us with that.  We kept them out of the end zone and got them off the field.  That’s what it’s all about.”

The Chargers see Sunday’s performance as another step forward in what they believe is a rapidly-improving defensive group.  Manning threw for 215 yards, and the Chargers held their previous two opponents under 100 net yards passing.  They had just seven sacks in their first five games and now have 15 in their last three to rank tied for fourth in the NFL with 22 on the season. 

“We’re getting better every week,” linebacker Shawne Merriman said.  “We’re getting better as a team. We’re playing with more continuity.  We’ve got a bunch of guys who can rotate up front and our DB’s are playing their tails off.   It’s translating to wins and we’re having a lot of fun.”