CHARGE BACK
SAN DIEGO – Trailing 6-0 at halftime of yesterday’s AFC wild card playoff game, the Chargers had to wonder whether they were in the midst of another postseason nightmare.
LaDainian Tomlinson was looking like an ordinary running back and the Titans were looking like a team determined to pull off an upset.
But the Chargers awoke in the second half, and the AFC West champions eventually got their long-awaited postseason victory, beating the Titans 17-6 at Qualcomm Stadium behind the poise and passing of quarterback Philip Rivers.
Tomlinson gained 42 yards on the ground, but Rivers completed 19 of 30 passes for 292 yards and one touchdown to help San Diego advance to the AFC Divisional playoff game at Indianapolis on Sunday.
“We didn’t find that great mix in the first half, but we found it in the second half,” said Rivers, the Chargers’ second-year starter. “I’m finding out quickly that in playoff football, you find a way to win. We found ways in the passing game.”
After postseason meltdowns in 2004, when they lost to the Jets, and last year, when they lost a game they should have won against the Patriots, the Chargers advanced by dominating the second half, mostly through the air. The Titans defense was intent on stopping Tomlinson, the two-time NFL rushing champ who had 6 yards rushing in the first half.
Rivers began finding receivers in the second half. Chris Chambers finished with six receptions for 121 yards and Vincent Jackson snagged five balls for 114 yards and a touchdown. Rivers averaged 15.4 yards on his 19 completions.
Improving the passing game was one of the objectives Norv Turner had when he was hired last February to replace Marty Schottenheimer as Chargers coach, and finding the right mix of run and pass was part of the reason for San Diego’s 1-3 start. But the versatil ity came in handy yesterday as the Chargers won their seventh straight game.
“Obviously, we didn’t get done what we wanted to do early in the season,” Turner said. “But we didn’t want to be a one dimensional team depending on LT every single game and if LT wasn’t going, we weren’t going. (Against the Titans) we couldn’t get LT going early, but it didn’t keep us from getting done what we wanted to do.”
A 25-yard touchdown pass from Rivers to Jackson with 2:35 remaining in the third quarter gave San Diego a 10-6 lead. Later, Rivers found Chambers for a 39-yard completion that help set up a 1-yard fourth-down leap by Tomlinson that provided the final margin.
“We wanted Philip Rivers to beat us and I think he did a good job of that,” Titans linebacker Keith Bullock said. “We broke down in coverage three or four crucial times.”
Rivers outplayed Titans quarterback Vince Young, who was questionable all week with a bruised right quad, but made his first career postseason start. Young (16 of 29 for 138 yards) was productive early, but failed to generate any offense in the second half, when the Chargers rallied. The Titans played without four injured offensive starters, including center Kevin Mawae and right guard Benji Olson.
“I could have done a little better,” Young said. “But at the same time I just played the game and took what the defense gave me. I just need to finish.”
The Titans end their year at 10-7, but the Chargers can savor their first playoff vic tory since win ning the AFC Championship Game in Pittsburgh in January 1995.
“We’re def initely happy we got past this part,” said line backer Shawne Merri man. “But we’ve got a lot of football left to play.”
Chargers 17 Titans 6
