The Chargers kept their December magic alive and in the process came a step closer to earning the opportunity to play in January as they delivered a 20-17 victory over the Cowboys, who began the day in first play in the NFC East.
The win was San Diego’s eighth-straight on the season and 16th-consecutive in the month of December, extending their own NFL record for success in the year’s final month. The 10-3 Chargers also improved to 6-1 on the road this season and snapped Dallas’s five-game home winning streak in their massive new stadium.
“To be able to come on the road and win a game like this, to be focused and ready to play, it was great,” running back 
The final score hardly tells the story from Sunday’s physical contest. The Chargers essentially put the game away when
“It had a play off type feel today,” quarterback
Dallas racked up 347 total yards Sunday, but an opportunistic Chargers defense made plays when they had to. On the opening drive of the game, the Cowboys marched to the San Diego 13 yard line but had to settle for a field goal when a pass to the end zone fell incomplete.
The Chargers immediately responded by driving 84 yards in seven plays to gain an early lead. A 24-yard reception by
“We knew it was important get early lead and we were able to make some plays early,” Floyd said.
Kaeding extended the lead with a 29-yard kick early in the second quarter, and then the Charger defense came through again. The Cowboys ran the ball on 14 out of 15 plays during a 72-yard drive that got them to the one yard line. But
“Any time you can get down there and keep a team from getting in the end zone, it’s unbelievable,” Head Coach Norv Turner said. “Our guys take great pride in it. It’s a collective group that has a mindset that they’re going to stop them but there’s got to be individuals that step up and make those plays.”
On the drive that followed the goal line stand, Rivers was intercepted by Terrence Newman at the Chargers’ 27 yard line, but another defensive effort left the Cowboys to again bring out kicker Nick Folk, who missed a 42-yard try.
The Cowboys tied the game on the final play of the third quarter when Romo’s six-yard touchdown pass to Miles Austin capped an 11-play, 99-yard drive in which Dallas never had a third down.
Again, it didn’t take long for the Chargers to jump back ahead. Following Austin’s score, Rivers led his team on an equally impressive drive. After a 39-yard gain by
San Diego’s defense quickly got the ball back to Rivers and the offense, and the Chargers essentially put the game away with what several players called the best drive of their season. The Bolts took over at their own 11 yard line and ran the ball 11 times on a 15-play drive. They mixed in the short pass to march 73 yards and chew up 7:17, nearly half the fourth quarter. That’s when Kaeding hit his 34-yard kick that made it a 20-10 contest.
“That was the exclamation point,” guard
Dallas got the ball back down 10 with 1:47 left and added a late touchdown to pull the score to 20-17, but there were just two seconds remaining when Patrick Crayton scored. Gates recovered the Cowboys’ onside kick attempt to officially seal the win.
Rivers finished the day 21-of-31 passing for 272 yards and a touchdown with an interception. Jackson caught seven passes for 120 yards, his fifth 100-yard game of the season.
With their win Sunday, the Chargers improved to 10-3 on the season. Combined with Denver’s loss in Indianapolis, the Bolts now hold a two-game lead in the AFC West and could clinch their fourth-consecutive division title next week with a win or a Broncos loss to Oakland.
The Chargers also hold a one-game lead over Cincinnati in the race for the AFC’s second seed in the playoffs and a bye in the divisional round. The Bengals visit San Diego next Sunday in a game that will likely have huge implications on January, but the Chargers are keeping their focus on December.
“We’re not even going to worry about Cincinnati, what they did today,” linebacker
