The Chargers are mounting another big second-half run.
Behind a career-high tying four touchdown passes by Philip Rivers and a successful special teams trick play that gave San Diego a spark, the Chargers beat the Denver Broncos 35-14 Monday night.
It was their third consecutive win, evening their record at 5-5 and pulling the Chargers to within a game of front-running Kansas City in the AFC West. The Chargers, who have made a habit in recent seasons of putting together a strong finishing kick, also won their seventh consecutive regular season game in the month of November.
But it was their beleaguered special teams that kick-started the Chargers' run-away victory. Bedeviled by blocked punts and poor kick coverage for much of the season, San Diego took off offensively after using a fake punt to convert a fourth down and extend the team's first touchdown drive.
Denver got off to a good start, scoring on its first possession but then fell flat in the face of intense defensive pressure by San Diego, highlighted by linebacker Shaun Phillips, who had two key sacks of quarterback Kyle Orton. He also put the heat on him when he threw an interception in the first half. Just about the only thing working for the Broncos was the connection between Orton and receiver Brandon Lloyd, who teamed up late for Denver's second TD.
The Broncos fell to 3-7 this season, and they're only 5-15 under second-year coach Josh McDaniels since starting 6-0 last season.
Some thoughts on the game:
• For the second consecutive game, Rivers threw for four touchdowns, matching a career high. He joins Hall of Famer Dan Fouts and Drew Brees, now of the New Orleans Saints, as the only Chargers quarterbacks to throw back-to-back four-touchdown games. Rivers hit Jacob Hester with a 3-yard scoring pass early in the fourth quarter for his fourth TD pass of the night.
• The Chargers stretched their lead to 21 points in the third quarter with a 57-yard scoring play by Darren Sproles. The Broncos blitzed but San Diego picked it up and Rivers got the pass away to Sproles, who made the catch in the open field and took it to the house.
• San Diego made it 21 consecutive points when Rivers tossed a short pass in the flat to Patrick Crayton, who dodged a tackle from safety Brian Dawkins and headed down field, following his blockers for a 40-yard touchdown. However, Crayton hurt himself at the end of the play. He finished the scoring play with a dive into the end zone but as he braced himself for the fall, he landed on his left wrist. He came up shaking his hand and was taken to the locker room to have the wrist checked out.
• Denver also had to deal with some injuries. Wide receiver Demaryius Thomas left in the third quarter with a leg injury and linebacker D.J. Williams left a short time later with an apparent concussion.
• During the week, McDaniels said he thought Rivers was the best deep-ball thrower the Broncos had faced this season. Rivers tossed a beauty to Crayton for a 49-yard gain. Crayton was cutting across the field, getting a step on cornerback Perrish Cox, and Rivers' led him perfectly, allowing Crayton to catch the ball in full stride, forcing safety Renaldo Hill to make a touchdown-saving tackle. But Mike Tolbert soon finished off the drive with a 1-yard touchdown run off left tackle to put San Diego in front 14-7 midway through the second quarter.
• From blocked punts to poor kickoff coverage, special teams problems have plagued the Chargers this season. But this time, special teams were at the center of a successful trick play that kept alive the Chargers' first touchdown drive. With San Diego in punt formation on a 4th-and-14 play from the San Diego 41, punter Mike Scifres passed to an open Tolbert for a 28-yard gain to the Denver 31. San Diego went on to score a tying TD on Rivers' 6-yard pass to Malcom Floyd.
• After failing to score in the first quarter in their previous six road games, the Broncos got off to a quick start. Orton completed his first three passes to move the Broncos from their 31 to the San Diego 22. Knowshon Moreno, coming off his first career 100-yard game, went the rest of the way on three carries, the last covering four yards for a touchdown.
• The Chargers were without star tight end Antonio Gates for a second consecutive game. He was among the team's inactive players because of a torn plantar fascia in his right foot. The Chargers were bolstered at wide receiver, though, with the return of Floyd. He missed the previous games because of a hamstring injury. Also missing for San Diego was rookie running back Ryan Mathews, who was deactivated because of an ankle injury.
• The Broncos had hoped to get linebacker Robert Ayers back from a broken foot in time for the Chargers game. But he was limited in practice in the week leading up to the game and wasn't quite ready to go. Ayers has missed five games since breaking the foot against Baltimore on Oct. 10.
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