• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Tomlinson's 4 TDs power Chargers past Raiders

Oct 15, 2007 - 1:24 AM By Tim Powers PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

SAN DIEGO (Ticker) - LaDainian Tomlinson's continued dominance of the Oakland Raiders moved himself and his team up in the standings.

Tomlinson rushed for 198 yards and four touchdowns Sunday as the San Diego Chargers posted a 28-14 victory over the Oakland Raiders.

The Chargers gained a share of first place in the AFC West with their eighth straight win over the Raiders. San Diego is tied with Kansas City (3-3), which defeated Cincinnati, 27-20, on Sunday.

"We feel really good about it," Tomlinson said. "We dug ourselves a hole losing three straight and being 1-3. What we talked about was finishing strong. We started slow, now we can't stop and we've got to go catch some people."

The loss was Oakland's 16th straight versus an AFC West opponent.

"We came out today and played like really bad football teams play," Raiders coach Lane Kiffin said. "We turned the ball over, we got sacked and we were unable to run the ball, and we got penalties. It's very easy to see how that game got out of hand. Maybe we're lucky it wasn't worse."

The four rushing touchdowns gave Tomlinson 106 for his career, tying him with Hall of Famer Jim Brown on the NFL's all-time list.

The reigning MVP has rushed for 1,653 career yards against Oakland - the most against any opponent. He also has 16 touchdowns in 12 games versus the Chargers' AFC West rival.

"I don't know, man, it's weird," Tomlinson said of his personal success against the Raiders. "We always have some success running the football (against Oakland)."

Sunday marked the eighth time Tomlinson has surpassed 100 yards against the Raiders, also a personal high against any team.

"This was a big game and we needed it," he said. "We ran the ball early and ran it successfully. That was the key."

Raiders linebacker Kirk Morrison figured Tomlinson, held to a combined 130 yards in San Diego's first three contests, was ready for a breakout game.

"(Tomlinson) has been close all season long," Morrison said. "We knew he was going to have a breakout game, but we just didn't want it to be against us. He found a couple spots in our defense, a couple of holes, and he exploited them all game long."

San Diego scored on the first possession of the game, marching 80 yards before Tomlinson leapt over a pile of defenders for a 1-yard score with 9:24 remaining.

After Oakland quarterback Daunte Culpepper threw an interception to Drayton Florence on his second pass attempt of the game, Tomlinson ripped off a 27-yard TD run to make it 14-0 with 6:51 left in the first.

Philip Rivers let Oakland back into the game when he made an ill-advised pass attempt across his body. It was picked off by Raiders linebacker Thomas Howard, who returned the interception 56 yards to cut the deficit to 14-7 with 6:54 left in the half.

"It was a good win," Rivers said. "If you take away the silly interception - which you can't - we were pretty efficient on offense. We're where we wanted to be after we were 1-3."

The Raiders' attempt at a fourth-quarter comeback fell short.

Culpepper hit Zach Miller with a 1-yard pass to pull Oakland within 21-14 with 8:04 remaining.

But Tomlinson struck again with a 41-yard TD scamper with 2:43 left to put away the game. The Chargers marched 85 yards in just six plays.

"We did finish the game," Tomlinson said. "That last drive, it was beautiful. I don't know if you can script a better drive in that situation."

Entering the game with the NFL's best rushing offense (194 yards per game), Oakland was ineffective on the ground, running for just 49 yards.

The Raiders' air attack was equally unimpressive, as Culpepper went 20-of-33 for 187 yards with an interception.

"(The Chargers) were flying around," Culpepper said. "They had a great rush on us. Their linebackers, when they weren't rushing, would drop in their zones properly. Their cornerbacks were in tight coverage. They were solid, very solid, all day today."