Home » Sports » American Football
Chargers rout Titans to secure playoff bye
Source: Agencies |
December 27, 2009, Sunday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
THE streaking San Diego Chargers wrapped up a first-round playoff bye in emphatic fashion with a 42-17 victory over the Tennessee Titans on Friday.
Philip Rivers passed for two touchdowns and 264 yards while LaDainian Tomlinson and Darren Sproles each rushed for scores as the Chargers (12-3) cruised to a 10th consecutive win in becoming American Football Conference second seeds.
Sproles also caught one of Rivers' TD passes to have a hand in three touchdowns for the AFC West Champions.
Rivers was an outstanding 21-of-27 in passing to help the Chargers tie the 1970-74 Miami Dolphins for the most successive wins in a month. San Diego is now 18-0 in December games dating back to 2005. Miami won 18 consecutively in November outings.
"We've put ourselves in as good a position as we can going into the postseason," Rivers told reporters in Nashville, Tennessee. "It's been quite a run."
Tennessee's Chris Johnson, the National Football League rushing leader, posted his 10th successive 100-yard rushing game but it was not enough to eliminate the Titans (7-8) from playoff contention.
Only Detroit Lions' Barry Sanders (14 games in 1997) and the Oakland Raiders' Marcus Allen (11 games in 1985-86) have longer NFL streaks than Johnson.
The Titans were trying to become the first NFL team to start the season 0-6 and make the playoffs but were powerless to prevent the Chargers from scoring on six of their first eight drives in building a 42-10 lead.
Tomlinson put the Chargers ahead 7-3 on a one-yard run and the advantage stretched to 21-3 on Rivers' touchdown passes, a 36-yarder to Antonio Gates and a three-yard reception by Sproles.
Quarterback Vince Young pulled Tennessee to within 21-10 on a three-yard run as halftime approached.
The next three touchdowns belonged to San Diego, however, a one-yard run by Tomlinson and Sproles' scores of nine and one yard.
"We're playing our best football," Tomlinson said after the Chargers improved to 7-1 in road games this season.
Philip Rivers passed for two touchdowns and 264 yards while LaDainian Tomlinson and Darren Sproles each rushed for scores as the Chargers (12-3) cruised to a 10th consecutive win in becoming American Football Conference second seeds.
Sproles also caught one of Rivers' TD passes to have a hand in three touchdowns for the AFC West Champions.
Rivers was an outstanding 21-of-27 in passing to help the Chargers tie the 1970-74 Miami Dolphins for the most successive wins in a month. San Diego is now 18-0 in December games dating back to 2005. Miami won 18 consecutively in November outings.
"We've put ourselves in as good a position as we can going into the postseason," Rivers told reporters in Nashville, Tennessee. "It's been quite a run."
Tennessee's Chris Johnson, the National Football League rushing leader, posted his 10th successive 100-yard rushing game but it was not enough to eliminate the Titans (7-8) from playoff contention.
Only Detroit Lions' Barry Sanders (14 games in 1997) and the Oakland Raiders' Marcus Allen (11 games in 1985-86) have longer NFL streaks than Johnson.
The Titans were trying to become the first NFL team to start the season 0-6 and make the playoffs but were powerless to prevent the Chargers from scoring on six of their first eight drives in building a 42-10 lead.
Tomlinson put the Chargers ahead 7-3 on a one-yard run and the advantage stretched to 21-3 on Rivers' touchdown passes, a 36-yarder to Antonio Gates and a three-yard reception by Sproles.
Quarterback Vince Young pulled Tennessee to within 21-10 on a three-yard run as halftime approached.
The next three touchdowns belonged to San Diego, however, a one-yard run by Tomlinson and Sproles' scores of nine and one yard.
"We're playing our best football," Tomlinson said after the Chargers improved to 7-1 in road games this season.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
