Chargers Control Christmas

The San Diego Chargers closed out a perfect December, won their 10th straight game and locked up the number two AFC playoff seed Christmas night in Nashville. The Chargers earned a first round bye in a clinching 42-17 rout of the Titans and improved to 12-3 on the season. Philip Rivers threw a pair of touchdown passes and LaDainian Tomlinson ran for two more for the AFC West champion Chargers. The streaking Chargers wrapped up December on Christmas night by outgaining the Titans in yards, dominating time of possession and grabbing twice picking off Tennessee’s Vince Young. The Titans’ comeback quarterback completed only 8 of 21 passes for 89 yards without a touchdown. Young was 7-1 as a starter at home since coming off the bench early this year. He threw only four interceptions in that time. Young turned the ball over on successive drives Friday night. The Titans were facing very long odds of making the playoffs. Now their chances are gone with one game remaining on the schedule. Tennessee fell to 7-8 and was never even a match for Rivers and the Bolts. The Chargers are now 7-1 in road contests this season. Rivers is 18-0 as a four year starter in December football games.
San Diego seemed scintillatingly sharp from the first snap following a three and out on the opening possession of the game. Titans’ running back, Chris Johnson, took a handoff 25 yards up the field at the Tennessee 20 yard line to begin the home team’s initial drive. Young hit Nate Washington and Johnson for 12 and 14 yard receptions but the Titans settled for Rob Bironas’ 46 yard field goal and the early advantage. Rivers answered on the ensuing San Diego possession by orchestrating an efficient seven minute drive. Tomlinson scored on the 13th play with a one yard touchdown run. Tennessee fell victim to two Young miscues in the second quarter. Rivers responded by making the Titans pay on both turnovers. The Bolts’ leading receiver, Pro Bowl tight end Antonio Gates, finished with 74 yards on three catches. His 36 yard pass from Rivers following a Young interception early in the second quarter put San Diego on top by 11. Darren Sproles made it a 21-3 icing with just over three minutes before halftime after a fumbling Young turned the ball over to the visitors. It was Sproles first of three touchdowns, and came on a three yard toss from Rivers. Young discovered the end zone with .17 seconds remaining in the second quarter to trim the Titans lead back to 11.
Titanic rusher Tomlinson scrambled for his second touchdown in the third quarter. LT finished with 59 yards rushing on 16 carries. He scored to put the Bolts up by 18 on a one yard run with 9:49 left in the third. The Chargers’ defense forced the Titans out on three plays on their first two drives of the second half. Sproles did the rest of the scoring for the visiting team the rest of the way as the San Diego lead grew to 35-10 before the final quarter. The Chargers ran for 166 yards. Sproles scored on a nine yard run to end the third. He began the fourth quarter by cranking out a 1 yard touchdown run for the final Chargers score. Johnson, the MVP-like back, continued his quest to become the NFL’s sixth player to run for 2,000 yards in a season. The Tennessee runner bolted for 142 yards, including a touchdown in the final quarter, to notch his 10th straight 100 yard effort of 2009. He finished Christmas night 128 yards shy of the 2,000 mark. Alabama native Rivers topped 4,000 yards for the second straight season. Tomlinson added two more to decade-leading rushing touchdown total of 138. Norv Turner’s Chargers are a focused and prepared team poised to threaten any AFC opponent this postseason. Last night, they scored on six straight possessions and forced three turnovers. The patched-up offense looked vulnerable and exposed against a strong, sturdy Chargers defense. Young’s top target, Washington, had just 39 yards on four receptions. The Bolts’ defense held Young and the Titans to 25% on third downs. The Chargers were playing with backups by the fourth quarter as their league leading passer secured them a playoff spot. The Bolts are excellent shape and a great position heading into the 2010 postseason.

Parting Points: Song for the day after Xmas- “Brick” by Ben Folds Five