• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Tomlinson sets three more records as Chargers beat Chiefs

Dec 18, 2006 - 6:30 AM SAN DIEGO (Ticker) -- LaDainian Tomlinson keeps running his way into the NFL record book.

Tomlinson rushed for 199 yards and two touchdowns as the San Diego Chargers extended their winning streak to eight games with a 20-9 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs.

On a 15-yard touchdown run in the first quarter, Tomlinson broke Paul Hornung's record for most points in a season. Hornung had 176 points in 1960 for Green Bay, playing both halfback and kicker.

Tomlinson broke off a career-long 85-yard touchdown in the second quarter, setting an NFL record for rushing TDs (28) in a season. It also was his eighth straight multi-TD game, breaking John Riggins' mark.

Of all the records, Tomlinson said his greatest feat was catching Hornung.

"I think it's the scoring record," said Tomlinson, who has 186 points. "It stood for 40-something years, and it's kind of mind-boggling to me that this year it happens and the record falls. I always say that records are meant to be broken, but some records seem like untouchable. To me, out of all of them, that's a tremendous accomplishment for not only me, but the guys on that offensive unit."

Tomlinson's big night helped him add to his single-season mark of 31 touchdowns. He broke Shaun Alexander's mark of 28 TDs in last week's win over Denver when he reached the end zone three times.

About the only thing that went wrong for Tomlinson was a shot he took to the jaw in the waning moments.

"I don't think it's serious. But even if it is, I'm still going to play with it," Tomlinson said.

Thanks to Tomlinson, the Chargers (12-2) were able to overcome a poor game from quarterback Philip Rivers en route to taking over the AFC's best record.

"We thought it was going to be a dogfight, and that's what we found ourselves in the middle of," Chargers coach Marty Schottenheimer said. "Our running game was obviously outstanding. We struggled some with the passing game, but that's the nature of our business."

San Diego matched a franchise record for wins in a season and improved to 7-0 at home.

The loss was the third straight for the Chiefs (7-7), who saw their wild-card hopes take a major hit.

Kansas City was playing four days after the death of Hall of Fame owner Lamar Hunt. The Chiefs wore Hunt's initials on the back of their helmets to pay homage to the man who was the founder of the franchise and the guiding force behind the formation of the American Football League.

"Their defense played very, very well," Chiefs coach Herman Edwards said. "They kept us out of the end zone. Our defense hung in there for the most part and gave us a chance, but the big plays got us. You can't do that against a good football team."

Facing an assortment of blitzes, Rivers completed just 8-of-23 passes for 97 yards and two interceptions.

"I was just frustrated. Obviously, I never really got in sync all night," Rivers said. "I made a couple of plays, very few, though. The passing game wasn't very good, and the first thing that has to happen in the passing game is I've got to throw it well, and I wasn't. But, I tell you what, we won, and that's what is important. It's a good thing that we can no be so good, and be proved bad actually in the passing game, but win. "

Rivers made his biggest play with under seven minutes remaining in the fourth quarter with a 46-yard completion to Vincent Jackson to the Kansas City 8. He had thrown for just 51 yards to that point.

The big play by Rivers set up Nate Kaeding's 22-yard field goal with 4:40 remaining, which gave the Chargers a 20-9 lead.

Chiefs quarterback Trent Green also was under constant pressure as he was sacked six times. He 23-of-41 for 185 yards and an interception.

Spelling Tomlinson at times, Michael Turner rushed for 58 yards on seven carries. He took a direct snap on a fake punt on the Chargers' first possession of the game and broke off a 25-yard run to the Chiefs 32.

Two plays later, Tomlinson scampered about the middle and made a quick cut to his right on the way to a 15-yard touchdown run.

Rookie defensive end Tamba Hali's interception early in the second quarter set up a 45-yard field goal by Lawrence Tynes that pulled the Chiefs within 7-3.

It looked like the Chiefs were in position to take the lead later in the second quarter when Bernard Pollard blocked Mike Scifres' punt. But Derrick Ross touched the ball after it had crossed the line of scrimmage and David Binn recovered for San Diego at its own 15.

"It could have turned the momentum in our way but it didn't," Edwards said. "It got them the ball back, and the next play, the guy makes the big play."

On the next play, Tomlinson went around the left side and outraced cornerback Patrick Surtain and linebacker Derrick Johnson en route to an electrifying touchdown, giving San Diego a 14-3 lead with 2:41 left in the first half.

"That was one of those plays that when you draw it up on the chalkboard, that's how it's supposed to happen," Tomlinson said. "It was absolutely perfect. I don't know if you could draw it better than the way it happened. Everybody got their block, Lorenzo (Neal) blew through the hole and just killed the linebacker. Once I'd seen the crease, I actually saw the safety take a bad angle, and once I saw that I felt like I was running track again."

"LT, he's one of the greatest backs in this game," Johnson said. "I have a lot of respect for him. I thought we had him bottled up a couple of times, but being the great player that he is, he got out on us. My hat's off to him. He's one of the best, but we still had a chance to win this game. We stayed in it."

Tomlinson rushed for 141 yards on nine carries in the first half. He took over the NFL lead with 1,626 rushing yards.

Tomlinson took over the league lead from Larry Johnson, who rushed for 84 yards on 19 carries. Johnson has rushed for 1,516 yards on the season.

Tynes capped an 11-play, 50-yard drive with a 52-yard field goal with 2:22 left in the third quarter to pull the Chiefs within 14-6.

Kaeding answered on the Chargers' ensuing drive with a 30-yard field goal with 12:18 remaining.

Free safety Greg Wesley's interception with just over 10 minutes left set up Tynes' 24-yard field goal with 7:01 to go.