GAME THREAD: GAME THREAD: NFL: SAN DIEGO (7-5) at TENNESSEE (7-5)

NFL: SAN DIEGO at TENNESSEE

<div class="pre">NFL
SAN DIEGO 10
TENNESSEE 17 2:24 LEFT, 4TH QTR

SDG BALL ON SDG 20 YD LINE
1ST AND 10</div>

 

NFL: SAN DIEGO at TENNESSEE

<div class="pre">NFL TWO MINUTE WARNING, 2ND HALF

SAN DIEGO 10
TENNESSEE 17

SDG BALL ON SDG 25 YD LINE
3RD AND 5</div>

 

NFL: SAN DIEGO at TENNESSEE

<div class="pre">NFL TD SDG
ANTONIO GATES 2 YD PASS FROM PHILIP RIVERS
(NATE KAEDING KICK)

SAN DIEGO 17
TENNESSEE 17 0:09 LEFT, 4TH QTR</div>

 

NFL: SAN DIEGO at TENNESSEE

<div class="pre">NFL END, 4TH QTR 1ST 2ND 3RD 4TH TOTAL
--- --- --- --- -----
SAN DIEGO 0 0 3 14 17
TENNESSEE 3 0 7 7 17 GOING INTO OVERTIME

SCORING SUMMARY

1ST QUARTER: TEN - FG, ROB BIRONAS 44 YD, 9:41. Drive: 4
plays, 3 yards in 1:59. Key plays:
Griffin interception at San Diego
29. TENNESSEE 3-0
2ND QUARTER: NONE
3RD QUARTER: SDG - FG, NATE KAEDING 20 YD, 3:17. Drive: 5
plays, 39 yards in 2:00. Key plays:
Wilhelm interception of Young to
Tennesse 41;Tomlinson 32-yard run
to Tennessee 9. SAN DIEGO 3-3
TEN - TD, CHRIS BROWN 7 YD RUN (ROB BIRONAS
KICK), 9:43. Drive: 4 plays, 19
yards in 2:00. Key plays: Harper
32-yard interception return to San
Diego 19; White 3-yard run on
3rd-and-1 to San Diego 7. TENNESSEE
10-3
4TH QUARTER: TEN - TD, LENDALE WHITE 7 YD RUN (ROB BIRONAS
KICK), 0:39. Drive: 7 plays, 42
yards in 4:06. Key plays: Young
12-yard pass to Gage on 3rd-and-8
to San Diego 27; Young 15-yard pass
to Moulds to San Diego 9. TENNESSEE
17-3
SDG - TD, LADAINIAN TOMLINSON 7 YD PASS FROM
PHILIP RIVERS (NATE KAEDING KICK),
7:31. Drive: 4 plays, 48 yards in
1:32. Key plays: Rivers 26-yard
pass to Chambers to Tennessee 22;
Tomlinson 15-yard run to Tennessee
7. TENNESSEE 17-10
SDG - TD, ANTONIO GATES 2 YD PASS FROM PHILIP
RIVERS (NATE KAEDING KICK), 14:51.
Drive: 13 plays, 80 yards in 2:15.
Key plays: Rivers 9-yard pass to
Chambers on 4th-and-5 to San Diego
44; Rivers 16-yard pass to Chambers
to Tennessee 28; Rivers 9-yard pass
to Tomlinson on 3rd-and-5 to
Tennesse 2. SAN DIEGO 17-17</div>

 

NFL: SAN DIEGO at TENNESSEE

<div class="pre">NFL SAN DIEGO 17
TENNESSEE 17 14:55 LEFT, 1ST OT</div>

 

NFL: SAN DIEGO at TENNESSEE

<div class="pre">NFL
SAN DIEGO 17
TENNESSEE 17 12:17 LEFT OVERTIME

TEN BALL ON TEN 2 YD LINE
1ST AND 10</div>

 

NFL: SAN DIEGO at TENNESSEE

<div class="pre">NFL
SAN DIEGO 17
TENNESSEE 17 10:44 LEFT OVERTIME

SDG BALL ON TEN 48 YD LINE
1ST AND 10</div>

 

NFL: SAN DIEGO at TENNESSEE

<div class="pre">NFL TD SDG
LADAINIAN TOMLINSON RECOVERED BLOCKED PUNT IN END ZONE

SAN DIEGO 23
TENNESSEE 17 7:29 LEFT, 1ST OT</div>

 

NFL: SAN DIEGO at TENNESSEE

<div class="pre">NFL FINAL 1ST 2ND 3RD 4TH
--- --- --- ---
SAN DIEGO 0 0 3 14
TENNESSEE 3 0 7 7

OT TOTAL
--- -----
SAN DIEGO 6 23
TENNESSEE 0 17 FINAL IN OVERTIME

SCORING SUMMARY

1ST QUARTER: TEN - FG, ROB BIRONAS 44 YD, 9:41. Drive: 4
plays, 3 yards in 1:59. Key plays:
Griffin interception at San Diego
29. TENNESSEE 3-0
2ND QUARTER: NONE
3RD QUARTER: SDG - FG, NATE KAEDING 20 YD, 3:17. Drive: 5
plays, 39 yards in 2:00. Key plays:
Wilhelm interception of Young to
Tennesse 41;Tomlinson 32-yard run
to Tennessee 9. SAN DIEGO 3-3
TEN - TD, CHRIS BROWN 7 YD RUN (ROB BIRONAS
KICK), 9:43. Drive: 4 plays, 19
yards in 2:00. Key plays: Harper
32-yard interception return to San
Diego 19; White 3-yard run on
3rd-and-1 to San Diego 7. TENNESSEE
10-3
4TH QUARTER: TEN - TD, LENDALE WHITE 7 YD RUN (ROB BIRONAS
KICK), 0:39. Drive: 7 plays, 42
yards in 4:06. Key plays: Young
12-yard pass to Gage on 3rd-and-8
to San Diego 27; Young 15-yard pass
to Moulds to San Diego 9. TENNESSEE
17-3
SDG - TD, LADAINIAN TOMLINSON 7 YD PASS FROM
PHILIP RIVERS (NATE KAEDING KICK),
7:31. Drive: 4 plays, 48 yards in
1:32. Key plays: Rivers 26-yard
pass to Chambers to Tennessee 22;
Tomlinson 15-yard run to Tennessee
7. TENNESSEE 17-10
SDG - TD, ANTONIO GATES 2 YD PASS FROM PHILIP
RIVERS (NATE KAEDING KICK), 14:51.
Drive: 14 plays, 80 yards in 2:15.
Key plays: Rivers 19-yard pass to
Chambers on 4th-and-5 to San Diego
44; Rivers 28-yard pass to Chambers
to Tennessee 28; Rivers 9-yard pass
to Tomlinson on 3rd-and-5 to
Tennesse 2. SAN DIEGO 17-17
OVERTIME : SDG - TD, LADAINIAN TOMLINSON RECOVERED
BLOCKED PUNT IN END ZONE, 7:31. SAN
DIEGO 23-17

ATT: 69,143</div>

 

NFL: SAN DIEGO at TENNESSEE

<div class="pre">NFL TD SDG
LADAINIAN TOMLINSON RECOVERED BLOCKED PUNT IN END ZONE

SAN DIEGO 23
TENNESSEE 17 FINAL</div>

 

NFL: SAN DIEGO at TENNESSEE

<div class="pre">NFL FINAL 1ST 2ND 3RD 4TH
--- --- --- ---
SAN DIEGO 0 0 3 14
TENNESSEE 3 0 7 7

OT TOTAL
--- -----
SAN DIEGO 6 23
TENNESSEE 0 17 FINAL IN OVERTIME

SCORING SUMMARY

1ST QUARTER: TEN - FG, ROB BIRONAS 44 YD, 9:41. Drive: 4
plays, 3 yards in 1:59. Key plays:
Griffin interception at San Diego
29. TENNESSEE 3-0
2ND QUARTER: NONE
3RD QUARTER: SDG - FG, NATE KAEDING 20 YD, 3:17. Drive: 5
plays, 39 yards in 2:00. Key plays:
Wilhelm interception of Young to
Tennesse 41;Tomlinson 32-yard run
to Tennessee 9. SAN DIEGO 3-3
TEN - TD, CHRIS BROWN 7 YD RUN (ROB BIRONAS
KICK), 9:43. Drive: 4 plays, 19
yards in 2:00. Key plays: Harper
32-yard interception return to San
Diego 19; White 3-yard run on
3rd-and-1 to San Diego 7. TENNESSEE
10-3
4TH QUARTER: TEN - TD, LENDALE WHITE 7 YD RUN (ROB BIRONAS
KICK), 0:39. Drive: 7 plays, 42
yards in 4:06. Key plays: Young
12-yard pass to Gage on 3rd-and-8
to San Diego 27; Young 15-yard pass
to Moulds to San Diego 9. TENNESSEE
17-3
SDG - TD, LADAINIAN TOMLINSON 7 YD PASS FROM
PHILIP RIVERS (NATE KAEDING KICK),
7:31. Drive: 4 plays, 48 yards in
1:32. Key plays: Rivers 26-yard
pass to Chambers to Tennessee 22;
Tomlinson 15-yard run to Tennessee
7. TENNESSEE 17-10
SDG - TD, ANTONIO GATES 2 YD PASS FROM PHILIP
RIVERS (NATE KAEDING KICK), 14:51.
Drive: 14 plays, 80 yards in 2:15.
Key plays: Rivers 19-yard pass to
Chambers on 4th-and-5 to San Diego
44; Rivers 28-yard pass to Chambers
to Tennessee 28; Rivers 9-yard pass
to Tomlinson on 3rd-and-5 to
Tennesse 2. SAN DIEGO 17-17
OVERTIME : SDG - TD, LADAINIAN TOMLINSON RECOVERED
BLOCKED PUNT IN END ZONE, 7:31.
Drive: 6 plays, 48 yards in 3:15.
Key plays: Rivers 11-yard pass to
Gates on 3rd-and-4 to Tennessee 31.
SAN DIEGO 23-17

ATT: 69,143</div>

 

By Chip Cirillo
PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer


NASHVILLE, Tennessee (Ticker) -- Philip Rivers hurt his knee andthen he hurt the Tennessee Titans' playoff chances.

After spraining his left knee in the first half, Rivers returnedto rally the San Diego Chargers to a 23-17 overtime victoryover Tennessee at LP Field on Sunday.


LaDainian Tomlinson scored the winning touchdown on a 16-yardrun with 7:29 left in overtime.


Chris Brown and LenDale White each scored on 7-yard runs in thesecond half, giving the Titans a seemingly commanding 17-3 lead.

But San Diego rallied when Rivers threw touchdown passes toTomlinson and tight end Antonio Gates during the final eightminutes of regulation.


Gates made a leaping a 9-yard reception in the end zone onthird-and-goal with nine seconds left in regulation, sending thegame into overtime tied at 17-17.


Tennessee (7-6) is battling Jacksonville (9-4), Cleveland andBuffalo (7-6) for an AFC wild card spot.


San Diego, which leads the AFC West, improved to 8-5. TheChargers can clinch the division if the Denver Broncos lose toKansas City later Sunday.


Rivers sprained his left knee with 10:47 left in the first half,but returned at the beginning of the third quarter. Chargerslinebacker Shawne Merriman, a Pro Bowler the past two seasons,injured his left knee in the third quarter.


San Diego cornerback Antonio Cromartie made his ninthinterception of the season when he picked off a pass by VinceYoung at the Chargers 6-yard line in the first quarter. Thattied him for a team record with Charlie McNeil, who had nine in1961 during the franchise's second year of existence.

Tennessee capitalized on a turnover when Rob Bironas kicked a44-yard field goal, giving the Titans a 3-0 lead with 5:19 leftin the first quarter.


Rookie safety Michael Griffin set up the field goal when heintercepted a pass by Rivers at San Diego's 29-yard line.

Then it was Chargers' turn to capitalize on a turnover when NateKaeding kicked a 20-yard field goal, tying the score 3-3 with11:43 left in the third quarter.


Linebacker Matt Wilhelm set up the field goal when heintercepted a pass by Young at the Tennessee 41.


The turnover parade continued when Nick Harper intercepted anunderthrown pass by Rivers and returned it 32 yards to the SanDiego 19. Four plays later, Brown scored on a 7-yard run togive the Titans a 10-3 lead with 5:17 left in the third quarter.

Tennessee boosted its lead to 17-3 on White's 7-yard TD run with14:21 left. Chris Barclay set up the TD with a 19-yard puntreturn that gave the Titans great field position at the Chargers42.


San Diego narrowed the deficit to 17-10 on a 7-yard pass fromRivers to Tomlinson with 7:29 left.

 

NFL: SAN DIEGO at TENNESSEE

<div class="pre">NFL FINAL 1ST 2ND 3RD 4TH
--- --- --- ---
SAN DIEGO 0 0 3 14
TENNESSEE 3 0 7 7

OT TOTAL
--- -----
SAN DIEGO 6 23
TENNESSEE 0 17 FINAL IN OVERTIME

SCORING SUMMARY

1ST QUARTER:

9:41 TEN - FG, ROB BIRONAS 44 YD.
Drive: 4 plays, 3 yards in 1:59.
Key plays: Griffin interception at San Diego 29. TENNESSEE 3-0.

2ND QUARTER:

NONE

3RD QUARTER:

3:17 SDG - FG, NATE KAEDING 20 YD.
Drive: 5 plays, 39 yards in 2:00.
Key plays: Wilhelm interception of Young to Tennesse 41;Tomlinson
32-yard run to Tennessee 9. SAN DIEGO 3-3.
9:43 TEN - TD, CHRIS BROWN 7 YD RUN (ROB BIRONAS KICK).
Drive: 4 plays, 19 yards in 2:00.
Key plays: Harper 32-yard interception return to San Diego 19; White
3-yard run on 3rd-and-1 to San Diego 7. TENNESSEE 10-3

4TH QUARTER:

0:39 TEN - TD, LENDALE WHITE 7 YD RUN (ROB BIRONAS KICK).
Drive: 7 plays, 42 yards in 4:06.
Key plays: Young 12-yard pass to Gage on 3rd-and-8 to San Diego 27;
Young 15-yard pass to Moulds to San Diego 9. TENNESSEE 17-3.
7:31 SDG - TD, LADAINIAN TOMLINSON 7 YD PASS FROM PHILIP RIVERS (NATE KAEDING KICK).
Drive: 4 plays, 48 yards in 1:32.
Key plays: Rivers 26-yard pass to Chambers to Tennessee 22;
Tomlinson 15-yard run to Tennessee 7. TENNESSEE 17-10
14:51 SDG - TD, ANTONIO GATES 2 YD PASS FROM PHILIP RIVERS (NATE KAEDING KICK).
Drive: 14 plays, 80 yards in 2:15.
Key plays: Rivers 19-yard pass to Chambers on 4th-and-5 to San Diego
44; Rivers 28-yard pass to Chambers to Tennessee 28; Rivers 9-yard pass to
Tomlinson on 3rd-and-5 to Tennesse 2. SAN DIEGO 17-17

OVERTIME:

7:31 SDG - TD, LADAINIAN TOMLINSON RECOVERED BLOCKED PUNT IN END ZONE .
Drive: 6 plays, 48 yards in 3:15.
Key plays: Davis 14-yard punt return to Tennessee 48l; Rivers
11-yard pass to Gates on 3rd-and-4 to Tennessee 31; Rivers 12-yard pass to
Jackson to Tennessee 16. SAN DIEGO 23-17.

SAN DIEGO - TENNESSEE Final Statistics

TEAM STATISTICS SAN DIEGO TENNESSEE

FIRST DOWNS 20 13
Rushing 6 7
Passing 14 6
Penalty 0 0
THIRD DOWN EFFICIENCY 6-18-33% 6-17-35%
FOURTH DOWN EFFICIENCY 1-1-100% 0-0-0%
TOTAL NET YARDS 341 240
Total offensive plays 77 63
Average gain per play 4.4 3.8
NET YARDS RUSHING 148 131
Rushing attempts 30 37
Average gain per rush 4.9 3.5
Tackles for loss-yards 4-4 0-0
NET YARDS PASSING 193 109
Times sacked: Number-Yards 5-35 2-10
Gross passing yards 228 119
PASS ATTEMPTS-COMPLETIONS-HAD INTERCEPTED 42-21-3 24-14-2
Avg gain per pass play 4.1 4.2
KICKOFFS: Number-In End Zone-Touchbacks 4-0-0 5-2-2
PUNTS: Number and Average 8-47.8 8-44.1
Had blocked 0 0
Net punting average 42.3 39.9
TOTAL RETURN YARDAGE (Not including kickoffs) 44 67
Number-Yards: Punt Returns 3-44 3-34
Number-Yards: Kickoff Returns 3-71 4-93
Number-Yards: Interception Returns 2-0 3-33
PENALTIES: Number-Yards 4-30 4-21
FUMBLES: Number-Lost 0-0 0-0
TOUCHDOWNS 3 2
Rushing 1 2
Passing 2 0
Interceptions 0 0
Other (blocked kicks, etc.) 0 0
EXTRA POINTS: Made-Attempts 2-2 2-2
Kicking: Made-Attempts 2-2 2-2
Passing: Made-Attempts 0-0 0-0
Rushing: Made-Attempts 0-0 0-0
FIELD GOALS: Made-Attempts 1-1 1-2
FGs - PATs had blocked 0-0 0-0
RED ZONE EFFICIENCY 3-4-75% 2-3-67%
GOAL TO GO EFFICIENCY 2-3-67% 2-2-100%
SAFETIES 0 0
TIME OF POSSESSION 31:18 36:13


INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

SAN DIEGO TENNESSEE

RUSHING ATT YDS AVG LG TD RUSHING ATT YDS AVG LG TD
-------------------------------------- --------------------------------------
L TOMLINSO 26 146 5.6 32 0 L WHITE 30 113 3.8 25 1
P RIVERS 1 2 2.0 2 0 C BROWN 5 16 3.2 7 1
M TURNER 2 1 0.5 2 0 V YOUNG 2 2 1.0 1 0
B VOLEK 1 -1 -1.0 0 0

PASSING CM-AT-YDS IN TD LG PASSING CM-AT-YDS IN TD LG
-------------------------------------- --------------------------------------
P RIVERS 21-40-228 2 2 29 V YOUNG 13-21-121 2 0 17
B VOLEK 0- 2- 0 1 0 0 K COLLINS 1- 3- -2 0 0 0

Sacked-Yards Lost: P RIVERS 4-28, Sacked-Yards Lost: K COLLINS 1-5,
B VOLEK 1-7. V YOUNG 1-5.

RECEIVING NO YDS AVG LG TD RECEIVING NO YDS AVG LG TD
-------------------------------------- --------------------------------------
A GATES 6 57 9.5 17 1 R WILLIAMS 3 30 10.0 17 0
L TOMLINSO 5 27 5.4 9 1 L WHITE 2 24 12.0 15 0
C CHAMBERS 4 90 22.5 28 0 B SCAIFE 2 14 7.0 9 0
V JACKSON 3 47 15.7 29 0 C BROWN 2 11 5.5 13 0
C DAVIS 2 2 1.0 5 0 B HARTSOCK 2 6 3.0 5 0
A PINNOCK 1 5 5.0 5 0 E MOULDS 1 15 15.0 15 0
J GAGE 1 12 12.0 12 0
C BARCLAY 1 7 7.0 7 0

INTERCEPTIONS NO YDS AVG LG TD INTERCEPTIONS NO YDS AVG LG TD
-------------------------------------- --------------------------------------
A CROMARTIE 1 0 0.0 0 0 N HARPER 1 32 32.0 32 0
M WILHELM 1 0 0.0 0 0 C LOWRY 1 1 1.0 1 0
M GRIFFIN 1 0 0.0 0 0

PUNTING NO YDS AVG T I LG PUNTING NO YDS AVG T I LG
-------------------------------------- --------------------------------------
M SCIFRES 8 382 47.8 1 2 60 C HENTRICH 8 353 44.1 0 2 57

T = Touchbacks, I = Inside 20

PUNT RETURNS NO YDS AVG LG TD PUNT RETURNS NO YDS AVG LG TD
-------------------------------------- --------------------------------------
C DAVIS 3 44 14.7 24 0 C BARCLAY 3 34 11.3 19 0

KICKOFF RETURNS NO YDS AVG LG TD KICKOFF RETURNS NO YDS AVG LG TD
-------------------------------------- --------------------------------------
A CROMARTIE 2 45 22.5 26 0 C BARCLAY 4 93 23.3 29 0
M TURNER 1 26 26.0 26 0

KICKING XP/XPA FG/FGA KICKING XP/XPA FG/FGA
---------------------------------- ----------------------------------
N KAEDING 2/2 1/1 R BIRONAS 2/2 1/2
Dist.: 20 Dist.: 44 (29)

O-D O-D
FUMBLES NO LOST FF REC FUMBLES NO LOST FF REC
------------------------------------ ------------------------------------
Fumbles: None

DEFENSE TK SO AS SK-YD DEFENSE TK SO AS SK-YD
------------------------------------ ------------------------------------
M WILHELM 10 7 3 0-0 K VANDEN BOSCH 8 7 1 3-27
J CESAIRE 7 4 3 0-0 C FINNEGAN 7 6 1 0-0
C HART 6 6 0 0-0 C LOWRY 7 5 2 0-0
B MCKINNEY 6 3 3 0-0 M GRIFFIN 7 5 2 0-0
S MERRIMAN 5 4 1 2-10 D THORNTON 6 6 0 0-0
I OLSHANSKY 5 3 2 0-0 V FULLER 6 6 0 0-0
S PHILLIPS 4 4 0 0-0 R FOWLER 5 5 0 0-0
Q JAMMER 4 4 0 0-0 N HARPER 5 4 1 0-0
E WEDDLE 4 3 1 0-0 A HAYNESWORTH 4 3 1 1-7
S COOPER 4 2 2 0-0 D NICKEY 1 1 0 1-1
M HARRIS 3 3 0 0-0 K BULLUCK 1 1 0 0-0
M MCCREE 2 2 0 0-0 R STARKS 1 1 0 0-0
J WILLIAMS 2 2 0 0-0 S TULLOCH 1 1 0 0-0
D FLORENCE 2 2 0 0-0
R BINGHAM 2 1 1 0-0
J TUCKER 1 1 0 0-0
A CROMARTIE 1 0 1 0-0

Att: 69,143</div>

 

NFL: SAN DIEGO at TENNESSEE

<div class="pre">** CONFIRMED **
NFL
SAN DIEGO 23
TENNESSEE 17 FINAL IN OVERTIME</div>

 

NFL: SAN DIEGO at TENNESSEE

<div class="pre">NFL FINAL 1ST 2ND 3RD 4TH
--- --- --- ---
SAN DIEGO 0 0 3 14
TENNESSEE 3 0 7 7

OT TOTAL
--- -----
SAN DIEGO 6 23
TENNESSEE 0 17 FINAL IN OVERTIME

SCORING SUMMARY

1ST QUARTER:

9:41 TEN - FG, ROB BIRONAS 44 YD.
Drive: 4 plays, 3 yards in 1:59.
Key plays: Griffin interception at San Diego 29. TENNESSEE 3-0.

2ND QUARTER:

NONE

3RD QUARTER:

3:17 SDG - FG, NATE KAEDING 20 YD.
Drive: 5 plays, 39 yards in 2:00.
Key plays: Wilhelm interception of Young to Tennesse 41;Tomlinson
32-yard run to Tennessee 9. SAN DIEGO 3-3.
9:43 TEN - TD, CHRIS BROWN 7 YD RUN (ROB BIRONAS KICK).
Drive: 4 plays, 19 yards in 2:00.
Key plays: Harper 32-yard interception return to San Diego 19; White
3-yard run on 3rd-and-1 to San Diego 7. TENNESSEE 10-3

4TH QUARTER:

0:39 TEN - TD, LENDALE WHITE 7 YD RUN (ROB BIRONAS KICK).
Drive: 7 plays, 42 yards in 4:06.
Key plays: Young 12-yard pass to Gage on 3rd-and-8 to San Diego 27;
Young 15-yard pass to Moulds to San Diego 9. TENNESSEE 17-3.
7:31 SDG - TD, LADAINIAN TOMLINSON 7 YD PASS FROM PHILIP RIVERS (NATE KAEDING KICK).
Drive: 4 plays, 48 yards in 1:32.
Key plays: Rivers 26-yard pass to Chambers to Tennessee 22;
Tomlinson 15-yard run to Tennessee 7. TENNESSEE 17-10
14:51 SDG - TD, ANTONIO GATES 2 YD PASS FROM PHILIP RIVERS (NATE KAEDING KICK).
Drive: 14 plays, 80 yards in 2:15.
Key plays: Rivers 19-yard pass to Chambers on 4th-and-5 to San Diego
44; Rivers 28-yard pass to Chambers to Tennessee 28; Rivers 9-yard pass to
Tomlinson on 3rd-and-5 to Tennesse 2. SAN DIEGO 17-17

OVERTIME:

7:31 SDG - TD, LADAINIAN TOMLINSON 16 YD RUN .
Drive: 6 plays, 48 yards in 3:15.
Key plays: Davis 14-yard punt return to Tennessee 48; Rivers 11-yard
pass to Gates on 3rd-and-4 to Tennessee 31; Rivers 12-yard pass to Jackson
to Tennessee 16. SAN DIEGO 23-17.

SAN DIEGO - TENNESSEE Final Statistics

TEAM STATISTICS SAN DIEGO TENNESSEE

FIRST DOWNS 20 13
Rushing 6 7
Passing 14 6
Penalty 0 0
THIRD DOWN EFFICIENCY 6-18-33% 6-17-35%
FOURTH DOWN EFFICIENCY 1-1-100% 0-0-0%
TOTAL NET YARDS 341 240
Total offensive plays 77 63
Average gain per play 4.4 3.8
NET YARDS RUSHING 148 131
Rushing attempts 30 37
Average gain per rush 4.9 3.5
Tackles for loss-yards 4-4 0-0
NET YARDS PASSING 193 109
Times sacked: Number-Yards 5-35 2-10
Gross passing yards 228 119
PASS ATTEMPTS-COMPLETIONS-HAD INTERCEPTED 42-21-3 24-14-2
Avg gain per pass play 4.1 4.2
KICKOFFS: Number-In End Zone-Touchbacks 4-0-0 5-2-2
PUNTS: Number and Average 8-47.8 8-44.1
Had blocked 0 0
Net punting average 42.3 39.9
TOTAL RETURN YARDAGE (Not including kickoffs) 44 67
Number-Yards: Punt Returns 3-44 3-34
Number-Yards: Kickoff Returns 3-71 4-93
Number-Yards: Interception Returns 2-0 3-33
PENALTIES: Number-Yards 4-30 4-21
FUMBLES: Number-Lost 0-0 0-0
TOUCHDOWNS 3 2
Rushing 1 2
Passing 2 0
Interceptions 0 0
Other (blocked kicks, etc.) 0 0
EXTRA POINTS: Made-Attempts 2-2 2-2
Kicking: Made-Attempts 2-2 2-2
Passing: Made-Attempts 0-0 0-0
Rushing: Made-Attempts 0-0 0-0
FIELD GOALS: Made-Attempts 1-1 1-2
FGs - PATs had blocked 0-0 0-0
RED ZONE EFFICIENCY 3-4-75% 2-3-67%
GOAL TO GO EFFICIENCY 2-3-67% 2-2-100%
SAFETIES 0 0
TIME OF POSSESSION 31:18 36:13


INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

SAN DIEGO TENNESSEE

RUSHING ATT YDS AVG LG TD RUSHING ATT YDS AVG LG TD
-------------------------------------- --------------------------------------
L TOMLINSO 26 146 5.6 32 1 L WHITE 30 113 3.8 25 1
P RIVERS 1 2 2.0 2 0 C BROWN 5 16 3.2 7 1
M TURNER 2 1 0.5 2 0 V YOUNG 2 2 1.0 1 0
B VOLEK 1 -1 -1.0 0 0

PASSING CM-AT-YDS IN TD LG PASSING CM-AT-YDS IN TD LG
-------------------------------------- --------------------------------------
P RIVERS 21-40-228 2 2 29 V YOUNG 13-21-121 2 0 17
B VOLEK 0- 2- 0 1 0 0 K COLLINS 1- 3- -2 0 0 0

Sacked-Yards Lost: P RIVERS 4-28, Sacked-Yards Lost: K COLLINS 1-5,
B VOLEK 1-7. V YOUNG 1-5.

RECEIVING NO YDS AVG LG TD RECEIVING NO YDS AVG LG TD
-------------------------------------- --------------------------------------
A GATES 6 57 9.5 17 1 R WILLIAMS 3 30 10.0 17 0
L TOMLINSO 5 27 5.4 9 1 L WHITE 2 24 12.0 15 0
C CHAMBERS 4 90 22.5 28 0 B SCAIFE 2 14 7.0 9 0
V JACKSON 3 47 15.7 29 0 C BROWN 2 11 5.5 13 0
C DAVIS 2 2 1.0 5 0 B HARTSOCK 2 6 3.0 5 0
A PINNOCK 1 5 5.0 5 0 E MOULDS 1 15 15.0 15 0
J GAGE 1 12 12.0 12 0
C BARCLAY 1 7 7.0 7 0

INTERCEPTIONS NO YDS AVG LG TD INTERCEPTIONS NO YDS AVG LG TD
-------------------------------------- --------------------------------------
A CROMARTIE 1 0 0.0 0 0 N HARPER 1 32 32.0 32 0
M WILHELM 1 0 0.0 0 0 C LOWRY 1 1 1.0 1 0
M GRIFFIN 1 0 0.0 0 0

PUNTING NO YDS AVG T I LG PUNTING NO YDS AVG T I LG
-------------------------------------- --------------------------------------
M SCIFRES 8 382 47.8 1 2 60 C HENTRICH 8 353 44.1 0 2 57

T = Touchbacks, I = Inside 20

PUNT RETURNS NO YDS AVG LG TD PUNT RETURNS NO YDS AVG LG TD
-------------------------------------- --------------------------------------
C DAVIS 3 44 14.7 24 0 C BARCLAY 3 34 11.3 19 0

KICKOFF RETURNS NO YDS AVG LG TD KICKOFF RETURNS NO YDS AVG LG TD
-------------------------------------- --------------------------------------
A CROMARTIE 2 45 22.5 26 0 C BARCLAY 4 93 23.3 29 0
M TURNER 1 26 26.0 26 0

KICKING XP/XPA FG/FGA KICKING XP/XPA FG/FGA
---------------------------------- ----------------------------------
N KAEDING 2/2 1/1 R BIRONAS 2/2 1/2
Dist.: 20 Dist.: 44 (29)

O-D O-D
FUMBLES NO LOST FF REC FUMBLES NO LOST FF REC
------------------------------------ ------------------------------------
Fumbles: None

DEFENSE TK SO AS SK-YD DEFENSE TK SO AS SK-YD
------------------------------------ ------------------------------------
M WILHELM 10 7 3 0-0 K VANDEN BOSCH 8 7 1 3-27
J CESAIRE 7 4 3 0-0 C FINNEGAN 7 6 1 0-0
C HART 6 6 0 0-0 C LOWRY 7 5 2 0-0
B MCKINNEY 6 3 3 0-0 M GRIFFIN 7 5 2 0-0
S MERRIMAN 5 4 1 2-10 D THORNTON 6 6 0 0-0
I OLSHANSKY 5 3 2 0-0 V FULLER 6 6 0 0-0
S PHILLIPS 4 4 0 0-0 R FOWLER 5 5 0 0-0
Q JAMMER 4 4 0 0-0 N HARPER 5 4 1 0-0
E WEDDLE 4 3 1 0-0 A HAYNESWORTH 4 3 1 1-7
S COOPER 4 2 2 0-0 D NICKEY 1 1 0 1-1
M HARRIS 3 3 0 0-0 K BULLUCK 1 1 0 0-0
M MCCREE 2 2 0 0-0 R STARKS 1 1 0 0-0
J WILLIAMS 2 2 0 0-0 S TULLOCH 1 1 0 0-0
D FLORENCE 2 2 0 0-0
R BINGHAM 2 1 1 0-0
J TUCKER 1 1 0 0-0
A CROMARTIE 1 0 1 0-0

Att: 69,143 Time of Game: 3:32</div>

 

NFL: SAN DIEGO at TENNESSEE

<div class="pre">** CONFIRMED **
NFL
SAN DIEGO 23
TENNESSEE 17 FINAL IN OVERTIME</div>

 

By Chip Cirillo
PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer


NASHVILLE, Tennessee (Ticker) - Philip Rivers hurt his knee andthen he hurt the Tennessee Titans' playoff chances.

After straining a ligament in his left knee in the secondquarter, Rivers rallied the San Diego Chargers from a 14-pointdeficit to a 23-17 overtime victory over Tennessee at LP Fieldon Sunday.


<div class="pre">"These are the games that the great teams and I'm not saying</div><div class="pre">we're there yet that you win," Rivers said. "You find a way</div>to win. You played lousy for most parts of the game. You putyour defense in a bind and they bailed you out as many times asthey could.


"These are the kind of games that can give you a huge boost andmake you even that much closer."


San Diego remained two games ahead of the Denver Broncos in theAFC West.


Rivers injured his knee when his foot got caught in the turfwhile making a pitch to LaDainian Tomlinson, who scored thewinning touchdown on a 16-yard run with 7:29 left in overtime.

"It was just a power play," Tomlinson said. "I saw that theywere really bunched inside so I knew that they were expecting usto get in the middle of the field. Once I sucked them up inthere a little bit and bounced outside, I got a good stiff armon the linebacker and from there I was able to outrun everybodyelse."


Tomlinson rushed for 146 yards and one TD on 26 carries for theChargers (8-5), who trailed, 17-3, early in the fourth quarter.

That's when Rivers went to work, throwing two touchdown passesduring the final eight minutes of regulation to send the gameinto overtime tied at 17-17.


Rivers tossed a 7-yard touchdown pass to Tomlinson with 7:29left and a 2-yard strike to tight end Antonio Gates on3rd-and-goal with nine seconds remaining.


One of the biggest plays of the game came when Rivers completeda 19-yard pass to Chris Chambers on 4th-and-5 during thegame-tying drive in the fourth quarter.


The pass was low and the Titans challenged the completion, butthe play was upheld by replay and San Diego kept the ball at theChargers 44-yard line.


"Luckily, they didn't have a lot of evidence," Chambers said. "Ifelt like I had my arms under the ball and made sure I securedit once I got up. When I saw the screen they didn't have verymany camera angles. I couldn't really tell, but I felt veryconfident I came down with the ball."


Rivers completed 21-of-40 passes for 228 yards, but he threw twointerceptions that led to 10 points for the Titans (7-6). Hisknee injury knocked him out of the last 11 minutes of the secondquarter, but he returned at the start of the second half.

Rivers also converted a 3rd-and-4 play with an 11-yard pass toGates to the Titans 31 three plays before Tomlinson scored thewinning TD.


"In the third and fourth quarter it didn't look great, but ourguys kept fighting and made enough plays and found a way to getthe game into overtime," Chargers coach Norv Turner said. "Ourguys talked a lot about that (Floyd Mayweather-Ricky Hatton WBCwelterweight) fight (Saturday) night and this was like thatfight. It was a 10-rounder and it was very physical."

Chargers linebacker Shawne Merriman, a Pro Bowler the past twoseasons, injured his left knee in the third quarter. San Diegofullback Lorenzo Neal, a former Titan, suffered a fracturedfibula.


Tennessee is battling Jacksonville (9-4), Cleveland (8-5) andBuffalo (7-6) for an AFC wild card spot.


"When you play a team as talented as the Chargers, you have tofind a way to put them away," Titans coach Jeff Fisher said."And we didn't do that. We let them hang around and make plays.I'm very disappointed."


Tennessee's LenDale White rushed for 113 yards and one TD on 30carries. His 7-yard TD run with 14:21 left gave the Titans aseemingly commanding 17-3 lead, but San Diego answered withthree consecutive TDs to win for the seventh time in the lastnine games.


"This is the NFL, man," White said. "Nothing is over until it'sover. You have to play all the way to the finish. It isupsetting because we did have the game won. I don't know if thebest team won today, but the guys who made more plays wontoday."