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Rivers guides Chargers past Ravens

Nov 26, 2007 - 2:14 AM By Tim Powers PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

SAN DIEGO (Ticker) - Philip Rivers proved he can win a game on a day when LaDainian Tomlinson is not at his best.

Rivers threw three touchdown passes and the San Diego Chargers overcame the stingy run defense of the Baltimore Ravens to earn a 32-14 triumph on Sunday.

The contest followed suit of the up-and-down season for San Diego (6-5), which won for the fourth consecutive time at home but has struggled (1-4) on the road.

The Ravens (4-7) absorbed their fifth consecutive defeat.

Tomlinson was held to 77 yards on 24 carries, extending Baltimore's streak of holding opposing runners under 100 yards to 14 games.

"We knew going against the number one-ranked defense against the run in our conference, we knew it was going to be tough," Tomlinson said. "They have invested a lot of money on that side of the ball. We didn't expect to run through them guys.

"We stayed with it today, and I think that was the reason for us getting some of the pass plays opening up."

It set the stage for Rivers and San Diego's passing attack, which erased Baltimore's short-lived 7-3 lead in the second quarter when Rivers hit Antonio Gates for a 35-yard score with 7:16 remaining.

The Chargers never surrendered the lead as Rivers threw a 5-yard score to Chris Chambers with 0:25 left in the first half, giving San Diego a 19-7 advantage and Chambers his first touchdown since coming over in a trade from Miami last month.

"I expected us to play well," Chargers coach Norv Turner said. "Offensively, I think our guys responded. It's not the textbook-style of offense you want. You know (Tomlinson) had eight yards in the first half, but Philip had a heck of a first half and we were able to make big plays in the passing game. I like the way our entire football team played."

San Diego recovered a fumble on the ensuing kickoff and added a quick field goal to build a 22-7 lead at halftime, and mostly dominated the second half as well.

Despite a sub-par day by his standards, Tomlinson reeled off a 36-yard run in the third quarter, his longest of the day, to go over 10,000 rushing yards for his career.

In crossing that plateau in his 106th career game, the reigning league MVP equalled Hall of Famer Emmitt Smith as the fourth-fastest player to reach that milestone. He also became the 22nd player in NFL history to reach 10,000 rushing yards.

"With that run, I knew that I had to have (the milestone) by then," Tomlinson said. "It's been the benchmark for running backs in this league, but I never set out to get 10,000 yards. I kind of take it like, you get 10,000 yards, but that means you're getting older also."

Rivers hooked up with Gates again, this time for a 25-yard strike with 11:30 left in the third quarter, to push the lead to 29-7.

The 25-year-old Rivers went 25-for-35 for 249 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions.

"I feel pretty good about the way I played," Rivers said. "When the guys up front blocked like they did, the pocket was pretty clean, receivers are separating, it certainly makes it easier. I've said all along I haven't lost any confidence."

Baltimore quarterback Kyle Boller hit LeRon McClain with a 13-yard touchdown pass to make the score 29-14, but the Ravens could muster little else on offense.

"We need to figure out some way to break this cycle that we're in right now," Ravens coach Brian Billick said. "It's not easy, but we'll continue to try to find a way. We did a couple of good things, but again, just not consistently."

Wide receiver Derrick Mason turned in one of the few strong performances for the Ravens, pulling in six catches for 84 yards.

"I take responsibility for what happened," Mason said. "I had some opportunities to catch balls, and I didn't come through. I need to be more aggressive. We fought, but sometimes just fighting isn't good enough to win you the game."

Boller finished 15-for-24 for 128 yards and a touchdown. Willis McGahee rushed for 59 yards on 17 carries for Baltimore.