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The Chargers struck early on Sunday as Micheal Spurlock had an electric 63-yard punt return for a touchdown less than two minutes into the game. It was the second punt-return for a score of Spurlock’s career and the first Chargers’ punt return for a touchdown since Darren Sproles brought one back 77 yards in 2009. 

“It was big,” said head coach Norv Turner.  “When you get a punt return, it’s hard to get one in this league.  You’ve got to get a lot of things going for you.  You’ve got to do a great job holding them up (and) you’ve got to do a great job blocking down the field.  He got a punt that was returnable and he made an excellent run.”

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Micheal Spurlock caught the 53-yard punt at his own 37-yard line and sprinted straight up the field.  As he got to the Jets’ 46-yard line, sensing daylight, he cut hard to his left.  After stiff-arming the punter Robert Malone at the 38-yard line, Spurlock raced up the field.  Aided by a strong block by Brandon Taylor on New York’s Garrett McIntyre, he tip-toed the left sideline all the way into the end zone.

“Coach said he wanted us to go out there and play ball,” Spurlock said after the game. “It was a great spark to start the game off.  We set an example from the first play on what we wanted to accomplish.  A punt return is like organized chaos.  Everybody played over to the right.  We knew where the ball would be.  We got it over to the left and the rest was history.”

Spurlock admitted that returning a ball for a touchdown, whether it’s a punt or a kickoff, is quite the achievement and is something he cherishes.

“All of them are special,” he said. “They are hard to do so I appreciate them.  There are not many people who get to do this and not many people are able to score touchdowns.  So each one that you get, enjoy it because there won’t be a lot of them no matter how good you are.”