Second half success puts Chargers in first place

Monday, Nov 20, 2006
By Casey Pearce, Chargers.com

Stop me if you’ve heard this before. 

The Chargers are on the road facing a defending division champion.  Their defense is beat up.  They fall behind, then the tide starts to turn.  They make one clutch defensive play, LaDainian Tomlinson finds the end zone for the fourth time on the day.  Bolts win.   

A week after scoring 42 points in the second half to beat the Bengals, the Chargers rallied at Denver Sunday, putting up four touchdowns in the final two quarters to bounce back from a 17-point third-quarter deficit and claim their first win at Denver since the 1999 season.

The 35-27 victory allowed the Bolts to improve to 8-2 on the season and claim sole possession of first place in the AFC West.  It’s the Chargers’ best start since beginning the 1987 season 8-2.

“This team … it’s something else,” fullback Lorenzo Neal said.  “We’ve got a group of fighters.  We were down again but never out.  I’ve never had this much fun in my life.”

Quarterback Philip Rivers entered Sunday’s contest having thrown 122 straight passes without an interception.  The Broncos picked him off twice Sunday, the latter of which was returned by Darrent Williams for a 31-yard touchdown midway through the third quarter to give the Broncos a commanding 24-7 lead. 

But like he has all season, Rivers bounced right back by leading the Chargers on four-consecutive touchdown drives, two of which ended in touchdown passes for the first-year starter. 

“You make a critical error like that for a touchdown on the road and then you throw in the mix that it’s Denver, you usually don’t come away with a win,” Rivers said.  “But nobody panicked.  We just kept playing.” 

The Chargers started the game without key defensive starters Luis Castillo and Shawne Merriman.  Then Shaun Phillips left for some time with a calf injury.  So did Marlon McCree.  Jacques Cesaire and Carlos Polk were taken off the field only to return. 

“To be very candid with you, we were having trouble finding guys to put on the field on defense,” Head Coach Marty Schottenheimer said.  “I mean literally … guys that would have been able to go out there and play a position with any history of practicing the position.  Again, this group just has great determination and great heart and they just keep playing.”

Meanwhile, the Broncos were churning out 111 rushing yards in the first half.

“It’s your worst nightmare when you’re having trouble stopping the running game of a team that’s one of the best rushing teams in football,” Schottenheimer said.  “They were just taking the ball wherever they wanted to.”

Denver finished the night with 158 yards on the ground, the most the Chargers have given up this season. 

But just like a week ago, the big play on defense came at just the right time.  Following Vincent Jackson’s touchdown catch that gave the Chargers their first lead since early in the second quarter, Drayton Florence picked off a Jake Plummer pass on a critical 4th-and-4 play.  The interception set up LT’s fourth touchdown of the day. 

“Flo works so hard in practice every day,” McCree said.  “I was so happy for him.  It’s somebody different every week for us.  I was glad to see him be that guy.”

Still, Denver had time for a potential game-tying score, but Phillips’ eighth sack of the season on the game’s final play brought an end to the final surge. 

Following the victory, Schottenheimer spoke with pride of his players.

“Had we lost the game, I would have extolled the quality and character of this football team and the way they play,” Schottenheimer said.  “They play so hard.  There are a lot of people that come to this place and lose.  My satisfaction is to see the way that group of men went about the task, particularly in the second half.  Their efforts were rewarded with a win.” 

Tomlinson posted his fourth-consecutive game with at least 100 rushing yards.  He finished with 104 on the ground to go with his 51-yard touchdown reception.  Rivers was 19-for-26 passing for 222 yards and two touchdowns.

“To go on the road and do it the way we had to do it, this win showed a lot of people that we’re for real,” Rivers said.  “This one was big, another big step in a long journey.”