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Rivers, Smith in spotlight as Chargers visit 49ers

Oct 10, 2006 - 10:51 PM San Diego (3-1) at San Francisco (2-3) Sunday 4:15 pm EDT

SAN FRANCISCO (Ticker) -- Two years ago, the San Diego Chargers handed Philip Rivers a clipboard. Last year, the San Francisco 49ers handed Alex Smith their offense.

On Sunday, the young quarterbacks meet for the first time when the Chargers visit the 49ers.

In 2004, Rivers was selected fourth overall by the New York Giants and sent to San Diego in the Eli Manning deal. He stood on the sidelines for two seasons, watching and learning as Drew Brees ran the offense.

When Brees signed with New Orleans as a free agent, the starting job went to Rivers, who has been brought along slowly, allowing him to develop confidence. That was evident last week, when Rivers outplayed Ben Roethlisberger, another 2004 first-round pick.

Rivers threw for 242 yards and two touchdowns as the Chargers defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers, 23-13. Making just his fourth career start, he completed 24-of-37 passes with one interception, leading San Diego back from an early 10-point deficit.

This season, Rivers has completed 67 percent (70-of-105) of his passes for 730 yards, five TDs and two interceptions. His passer rating of 94.5 is eighth in the NFL.

Smith did most of his learning on the job. He made his first start in Week Five and seven overall but completed barely half his passes with just one TD and 11 interceptions.

It has been a different story this season as Smith has shown remarkable progress. With better receivers and a more consistent running game, he has completed nearly 59 percent (89-of-152) of his passes for 1,071 yards, six TDs and three interceptions. His passer rating of 85.2 is 13th in the NFL.

Smith is coming off perhaps the best game of his brief career, going 15-of-19 for 165 yards and three TD passes in a 34-20 home victory over the winless Oakland Raiders. He bounced back nicely from a poor performance against Kansas City in which he threw for just 92 yards.

The 49ers also got big games from Frank Gore, another 2005 draft pick who ran for a career-best 134 yards, and veteran cornerback Walt Harris, who had a career-high three interceptions. Rookie defensive end Melvin Oliver scored on a 12-yard fumble return.

San Francisco's defense is just 24th against the run, allowing 126.2 yards per game. That could present problems against San Diego, which is second in the NFL in rushing at a staggering 176 yards per contest.

It hasn't been all LaDainian Tomlinson, either. Although the Pro Bowl running back has 336 yards and three TDs on 89 carries, Michael Turner has 277 yards on just 41 attempts, a staggering 6.4 average.

The Chargers have won just four of 11 all-time meetings between the clubs, including the most recent encounter in 2002, a 20-17 overtime triumph. That ended a six-game slide in the series that includes a 49-26 loss in Super Bowl XXIX.