Vincent Jackson's injury

According to the Chargers, Vincent Jackson originally injured his calf in practice Friday and aggravated it during the game Sunday night. It doesn’t appear that he was faking an injury in order to avoid playing, that some were alleging. Meanwhile, it is reported that he has a strain and he likely won’t play against the Raiders on Sunday.

VJ is expected to get healthy and play at some point in December. The earliest opportunity likely will be the game against the Chiefs on Dec. 12.

Chargers hands the Colts it's worst home loss, 36-14


In a night where the offense had a tough time scoring touchdowns, the Chargers' defense stepped up and played awesome. Getting four interceptions in which two were returned for touchdowns which helped give the Colts it's worst home loss of the Manning era, 36-14.

Peyton Manning blamed himself for the Colts' mistakes. The Chargers took credit for forcing him into them. Either way, it was the same bad result for Indy's suddenly struggling quarterback.

The Chargers has beaten the Colts five times in six games, including twice in the playoffs. Three years ago, the Chargers picked off Manning six times -- the most in his career. Colts fans were so disgusted at the poor play that they headed for the exits with about 10 minutes left.

Kevin Burnett made a leaping catch and sprinted 29 yards to give the Chargers a 10-7 lead. Stephen Cooper picked off Manning again early in the second quarter, setting up a 33-yard field goal that made it 13-7.

Manning got the Colts back into it when he connected with Blair White on a 6-yard TD pass to make it 16-14 with 22 seconds left in the half. But after that, nothing went right for the Colts.

Kaeding opened the second half with a 30-yard field goal, and Eric Weddle picked off Manning and returned it 41 yards for a TD to make it 26-14. Mike Tolbert scored on a 3-yard run with 11:26 to go, sealing the victory, and Kaeding added his fourth field goal of the night to close it out.

Tolbert carried 26 times for 103 yards with one TD and Rivers was 19 of 23 for 185 yards with no touchdowns and, unlike Manning, no interceptions.

"I think all of our guys understand now that you've got to protect the ball," Norv said. "You've got to be sound in the kicking game and we can't give up big plays on defense."

All together, a great TEAM win...

Next up...Raiders

Garland signed with the Dodgers

Former Padres right-hander Jon Garland signed a one-year contract with the Dodgers with a base salary of $5 million on Friday. Garland will be the Dodgers' fifth starter, giving them five pitchers who each won 10 or more games last season.

Garland will also be eligible to earn up to $3 million in performance-based incentives this season. The contract includes an $8 million club option for 2012, which would vest if he pitches more than 190 innings in 2011.

Garland pitched well last year for the Padres, setting career-best marks with a 3.47 ERA and 136 strikeouts in 33 starts. We sure will miss you Jon, won't wish you luck though, because we'll end up having to play you.

Beat Down at the Q, Chargers win 35-14


Philip Rivers tied his career high with four touchdown passes to four different receivers and the Chargers beat the Denver Broncos 35-14 on Monday night for their third straight victory.

This was probably the most complete game that the Chargers have played all season, they were solid in all phases of the game. Everyone pretty much contributed to this win. Though Rivers threw his season-low 233 yards, he threw touchdown passes to Patrick Crayton who scored on a 40-yard catch-and-run late in the second quarter, hurting his left wrist as he fell into the end zone, and speedy little Darren Sproles had a 57-yard catch-and-run early in the third. And San Diego's defense, led by linebacker Shaun Phillips, settled in and harassed Denver's Kyle Orton after he led an easy opening scoring drive. Denver was held to 235 yards and converted only one of 12 third downs.

The Chargers special team, who had taken most of the blame for their 5 losses this year, even pulled off a fake punt. Mike Scifres -- who's had five punts blocked this year -- waited for fullback Mike Tolbert to get open, then hit him with a 28-yard pass that set up Rivers' tying 6-yard scoring pass to Malcom Floyd in the first quarter.

"This is exactly what we set out to do when we were 2-5," said cornerback Antoine Cason, who intercepted Orton in the second quarter. "We wanted to get back in the division race to set us up for these games against division teams, and now our fate is in our own hands."

The Chargers had no trouble despite playing without star tight end Antonio Gates, who missed his second straight game with a torn plantar fascia in his right foot, and rookie running back Ryan Mathews, still bothered by a high ankle sprain.

The Broncos looked to be up for an offensive showcase Monday night following their efficient opening drive. Unfortunately for Denver, it was all Chargers after that.

Late in the second quarter, Crayton caught a short screen pass, broke a tackle by Brian Dawkins and raced toward the end zone. He was being tackled as he ran into the end zone and fell awkwardly on his left wrist even as he gave the Chargers a 21-7 lead. He was taken to the locker room and was on the sideline in street clothes in the fourth quarter, his left arm in a sling. Turner said he hopes it's a strain.

Earlier, Crayton caught a deep pass from Rivers and stiff-armed the safety to gain extra yards, finishing with a 49-yard gain to the Denver 6. Tolbert scored on a 1-yard run two plays later for a 14-7 lead. Sproles' big touchdown catch capped the opening drive of the second half and extended San Diego's lead to 28-7. He cut inside, caught Rivers' short pass and outraced the Broncos to the end zone. Rivers' final scoring pass was a 3-yarder to fullback Jacob Hester early in the fourth.

Phillips had two sacks in the second quarter, including one when he chased down Orton as he tried to complete a flea-flicker.

The Chargers, coming off their bye, pulled into a second-place tie with Oakland, one game behind Kansas City. Denver fell to 3-7. Next up is Indy.

Chargers' Injury report for Denver game

TE Antonio Gates and RB Ryan Mathews missed practice again on Friday. So the chances of them playing on Monday night against visiting Denver is start to look slim.

Antonio Gates is still hampered by the foot injury that forced him to miss the Houston game on Nov. 14. Whether he plays Sunday could be a game-time decision. Ryan Mathews reinjured his ankle in the Houston game. There is a strong chance Mike Tolbert will start in Mathews’ place. Mathews, the No. 12 overall pick in April, has 382 yards on 87 carries and two touchdowns, while Tolbert has 87 carries for 395 yards and seven touchdowns.

Receivers Malcom Floyd and Legedu Naanee both practiced on a limited basis. They’ve both been out for several games with a hamstring injury. It looks like kicker Nate Kaeding is on target to return from a groin injury Monday night. He has missed the past three games and has been replaced by Kris Brown. Nate has practiced fully the past two games.

Bud Black named NL Manager of the Year

Padres manager Bud Black was named the National League's Manager of the Year in balloting by the Baseball Writers' Association of America. He was listed on 26 of the 32 ballots cast, receiving 16 first place votes. His 104 point total was one better than Cincinnati Reds manager Dusty Baker, making it one of the closest races in the history of BBWAA balloting.

Black, 53, led the Padres to a 90-72 record in 2010, the most wins by the Padres since they won a franchise-record 98 contests in 1998. San Diego posted the fifth-best record in the National League while going an even 45-36 both at home and on the road.

Black made his managerial debut with the Padres in 2007. On July 19, it was announced that the Padres extended his contract through the 2013 season with club options for the 2014 and 2015 campaigns. In four seasons with San Diego, he has led the club to a 317-332 (.488) record.

Chargers signed safety Pat Watkins

Source: Chargers.com 

The San Diego Chargers signed strong safety Pat Watkins on Monday and waived wide receiver Gary Banks.

The San Diego Chargers signed strong safety Pat Watkins on Monday and waived wide receiver Gary Banks.

Watkins, a 6-foot-5, 220-pound free agent, is a fifth-year player that spent his first four seasons with the Dallas Cowboys. He played in 13 games last season and finished second on the team with 18 special teams tackles and also recorded 22 on defense.

A neck injury limited him to eight games in 2008, but he led the Cowboys with 25 special teams tackles in ’07 and made 49 tackles and three interceptions on defense in ’06, starting nine of his 14 games.

The Cowboys drafted Watkins out of Florida State in 2006. Watkins was a college teammate of Chargers defensive lineman Travis Johnson. He also played with inside linebacker Kevin Burnett for three seasons and wide receiver Patrick Crayton for four seasons in Dallas.

Watkins will wear No. 26 for the Chargers.

#25 Aztecs beats #11 ranked Gonzaga

Source: Associated Press


San Diego State Aztecs is ranked 25th in the AP Top 25, and forward Billy White didn't want its stay in the poll to be short.

White scored 18 points in the second half, many with the game on the line and went on to score a career-high 30 points as the Aztecs beat Gonzaga (No. 11 AP) 79-76 on Tuesday night, dealing the Gonzaga only their fifth home loss at home since 2004. Kawhi Leonard also added 18 points and 12 rebounds for the Aztecs, which is ranked in the AP Top 25 for the first time in school history. White and Leonard, both forwards, combined to score 48 of San Diego State's 79 points, going 14-of-18 from the field.

The Aztecs dominated the rebounding 39-29 and got 18 offensive rebounds that led to 24 second-chance points.

Fisher won his 200th game, against 149 losses, in his 12 seasons with the Aztecs. The victory snapped San Diego State's 33-game road losing streak to Top 25 teams, and this is the highest-ranked team the Aztecs have ever beaten on the road.

The Aztecs harassed Gonzaga into bad shots much of the game and the Bulldogs made just five of 18 3-pointers.

Fisher said the nationally televised game introduced many people to his team, which is favored to win the Mountain West Conference.

This is only the second time the two schools have played. The first was a Gonzaga victory in 1959.

Gonzaga is 77-5 in the McCarthey Athletic Center in 2004.

Padres traded two good relievers for CF Cam Maybin

Source: San Diego Union Tribune


The Padres acquired center fielder Cameron Maybin from the Florida Marlins in exchange for right-handed relief pitchers Edward Mujica and Ryan Webb.

Maybin, who turns 24 on April 4, figures to become the Padres' regular center fielder. The 6-foot-3, 210-pound outfielder last season had the highest range factor of any National League center fielder who played at least 70 games. Maybin had a 3.10 score per nine innings. By comparison, Tony Gwynn had a 2.12 score. Maybin appeared in a career-high 82 games for the Marlins in 2010, including 74 starts in center field. He hit .234 (68-for-291) with seven doubles, three triples, eight home runs and 28 RBI. He also scored 46 runs and stole nine bases.

However, the right-handed hitter also had 92 strikeouts against only 24 walks. He had a .302 on-base percentage.

He was the 10th overall pick of the Detroit Tigers out of high school in the 2005 draft, Maybin first reached the major leagues at the age 20. After his first major league season, Maybin was traded to the Marlins on Dec. 4, 2007, as the premier player among the six the Tigers gave up to acquire infielder Miguel Cabrera and pitcher Dontrelle Willis.

Maybin has played 168 games in the majors over the past four seasons, hitting .246 with 13 homers and 45 RBI in 548 at-bats.

The acquisition of Maybin, who is still two seasons away from being arbitration eligible, will likely end the Padres careers of several other outfielders. Ryan Ludwick, Gwynn, Chris Denorfia and Scott Hairston are all arbitration eligible and at least two of the four will likely be non-tendered by the Padres. The Padres have said they would like to retain Ludwick.

Gwynn was praised for his defensive play in center last season, but he batted only .204 in 289 at-bats with three homers, 20 RBI and a .304 on-base percentage.

To acquire Maybin, the Padres had to part with a relievers Mujica and Webb who worked in a combined 113 games last season. Although they lost two durable members of their bullpen, the Padres acquired a starting center fielder without touching the key members of the bullpen.

The key bullpen holdovers include All-Star closer Heath Bell, the set-up tandem of Mike Adams and Luke Gregerson plus Ernesto Frieri, Joe Thatcher and Adam Russell.

Hoyer, who leaves today for the GM meetings in Orlando, Fla., first contacted the Marlins about Maybin two weeks ago. "We started talking earlier this week," said Hoyer. "We wanted Maybin and the Marlins wanted bullpen help."

Padres will not have much wiggle room in free-agency

Source: MLB

Free agents: RHP Kevin Correia, INF Jerry Hairston Jr., SS Miguel Tejada, OF Matt Stairs, 2B David Eckstein, C Yorvit Torrealba, SP Jon Garland, SP Chris Young.

Eligible for arbitration: RHP Tim Stauffer, RHP Edward Mujica, OF Tony Gwynn, OF Chris Denorfia, RHP Mike Adams, RHP Heath Bell, OF Scott Hairston and OF Ryan Ludwick.

Non-tender possibilities: Scott Hairston, very small chance Gwynn is non-tendered.

Areas of need

Center fielder:
With Will Venable set to play in right field and Ludwick moving from right to left field, the Padres want to land an everyday center fielder this winter. Gwynn has plenty of speed and a great defender, but lacks in hitting. The Padres need a top-of-the-order hitter, a table-setter for Gonzalez and Ludwick.

Starting pitching: The Padres have good core of young pitchers in their starting rotation in Clayton Richard, Mat Latos, Tim Stauffer and rookie southpaw Cory Luebke, but they will need someone to do what Garland did for them last season -- be an innings-eater. The Padres won't likely spend what it would cost to keep Garland ($6.75 million) for a No. 3 or 4 starter.

Middle infield: Eckstein is a free agent and won't likely return. Tejada, who was very good after joining the team in July, is also a free agent. The Padres still don't know what kind of player Everth Cabrera will be and Jerry Hairston Jr., who played a lot of shortstop when Cabrera was hurt, is a free agent. Simply put, the Padres need help here, either at second base, shortstop or both. They could make a run at Tejada, but won't spend the $6 million he earned in 2010, my suggestion is that they go after Jerry Hairston Jr. instead.

2011 payroll

The Padres won 90 games with the second-lowest payroll in the Major Leagues in 2010. That payroll is expected to increase -- Hoyer even said as much publicly last month -- but likely won't be much higher than $40 million. That said, without any bad contracts on the books, the Padres can and will be active. It also means that, unlike other teams with bigger payrolls, the Padres really can't afford to miss on trades or free-agent acquisitions.

Cason's number will be retired

San Diego Chargers cornerback Antoine Cason will have his No. 5 retired at the University of Arizona at halftime of the Arizona-USC game. Cason was an All-American and Jim Thorpe award winner for Arizona. He was a 2008 first-round pick. He is in his first season as a starter.

Norv defends special teams coach Steve Crosby

Source: San Diego Union Tribune

Chargers head coach Norv Turner once again defended special teams coach Steve Crosby. Norv puts blame on the players not doing their jobs, not on their coach.

“You know, there are about five guys I’d let go before him, and that would be the five guys that have had mental errors and giving up blocked punts,” Turner said. “He’s not out there doing it. He gets them ready to play. I can put a tape on Friday of a guy doing it right, and then not doing it right on Sunday. That is not Steve Crosby. He does a great job getting these guys ready, and we’ve had some issues. It has been different guys. In two or three cases, it has been a guy that has been put into a new position because of an injury, and they haven’t handled it very well.”

The Chargers has had special teams issues all season including Sunday's fifth blocked punt of the season. Although, it officially goes down as a deflection because it traveled 1 yard, it was a blocked punt. There have only been five other blocked punts in the entire NFL this season.

Norv vowed that the issue will be fixed between now and the next game, Nov. 22 against Denver.

“Over the next five (practices), we are going to fix the issues we have in the punting game,” Norv said. “We will not have another punt blocked for the rest of this season.”

Those are some big words, Norv. Now, prove it.

Special team, not so special in win

On the opening kick-off, Jacob Hester didn’t want the ball to stick in bounds and have the Texans somehow recover and take over inside the Chargers’ 10. So he caught the kickoff, his momentum carried him out of bounds and the Chargers began their first drive at the 4, but what he should have done was let it bounce in to the end zone for a touch-back.

After the Chargers' 3-and-out, the special team made another blunder by giving up another blocked punt which the Texans recovered on the 8 yard line. That led to an Adrian Foster touchdown which put the Charger's behind early yet again.

But thanks to Philip Rivers, even without some of his favorite receivers, he picked apart the Houston Texans' last ranked pass defense. Rivers was missing tight end Antonio Gates, wide receivers Malcom Floyd and Legedu Nanee to injuries. He completed his first 10 passes and finished with 295 yards and four touchdowns to guys like Seyi Ajirotutu (his first career touchdown) Randy McMichael (first as a Charger).

The Texans had a chance for the go-ahead score in the final minutes, but the usually sure-handed Andre Johnson made a costly mistake. On second down, Johnson couldn't handle Matt Schaub's pass, and the ball ricocheted off his knee and into the hands of safety Paul Oliver. Officials upheld the interception after a replay review, and Rivers kneeled down to run out the clock.

The Chargers held on to win the game 29-23 to head into their bye week on their first two-game winning streak of the season and the first road win of the season.

This bye week could not come at a better time, this will give their players a much needed time to recover from injuries before player the Broncos the following week.

Chargers added a veteran receiver

The Chargers got themselves some help at receiver by signing eight-year veteran Kelley Washington.

He is expected to be in uniform Sunday at Houston. He is a big receiver at 6-foot-3, 217 pounds. He has played eight NFL season and had 34 catches for 431 yards for Baltimore last season. He can also help on special teams.

The Chargers only have three healthy receivers – Patrick Cratyon, Gary Banks and Seji Ajirotutu before the signing of Washington. Starters Malcom Floyd and Legedu Naanee are not expected to play at Houston because of hamstring injuries. Pro Bowl receiver Vincent Jackson won’t be eligible to play until Week 12.

Also, TE Antonio Gates is dealing with foot injuries and may not play against the Texans. So, the Washington signing makes sense.

Philip Rivers honored for a great month

Congratulations to Chargers' QB Philip Rivers for being named the AFC offensive player of the month for his dominant October.

Rivers completed 125 of 185 passes (67.6 percent) for an NFL-high 1,562 passing yards with eight touchdowns versus three interceptions, he had a 101.2 passer rating and his 1,562 yards set an NFL record for October. Rivers has thrown for 2,649 yards so far this season. It is the most any quarterback has ever thrown for through eight games.

To still put up those kinds of numbers with a depleted receiving crew is extra special. This is Rivers’ third player of the month honor.

Antonio Gates could be out against Houston

Source: San Diego Union-Tribune

Antonio Gates was wheeling around Wednesday on a scooter that kept his right foot off the ground which is the opposite foot from the toe and ankle injuries that's been bothering him the past two weeks.

Last Sunday's game against the Titans, Gates popped the plantar fascia in his right foot. Plantar fasciitis is the same injury he sought a medical opinion in May, but it had not bothered him this season until he attempted to compensate for the injuries around his left foot in the Patriots game.

The breaking of the plantar fascia actually allows for healing, eliminating the tightness with which Gates had to play against Tennessee. The plantar fascia is a band that runs from the heel to the toes and works with the arch of the foot when the foot pushes off. The tearing is extremely painful.

On Monday, Gates had to be driven to his car in a cart because he couldn’t walk.

Dr. Phillip Kwong, a foot specialist with the Kerlan-Jobe Orthopaedic Clinic, said people find it difficult to walk for two weeks or more after tearing a plantar fascia.

Gates has been able to play in relative comfort with pain killing injections, but the hurt is almost intolerable when those wear off. He described the scooter and other measures he is going through as giving him “a chance” to face the Texans.

With a bye week after the Texans game, maybe it's wise not to play him this week so he can have 2 weeks to heal. I would rather lose him for one game than lose him for the rest of the season. Besides, the Texans have the worst pass defense in the league, let's just hope some of the backups can step up and not make mistakes like them have in previous games.

Shawne Merriman is claimed by Bills

Source: ESPN

The Buffalo Bills have claimed former  Chargers linebacker Shawne Merriman on waivers, according to league sources.

Merriman must report to the Bills within the next five days or he'll be placed on the Reserve/Left Squad list and would not be able to play the rest of the season, at which point his status would be determined by the next collective bargaining agreement. At the moment, Merriman plans to report to Buffalo, sources told Schefter. He is not, however, expected to play Sunday against theChicago Bears.

Jon Garland rejects option with Padres

Source: AP

Padres' starting pitcher Jon Garland rejected his end of the mutual option he had for the 2011 season with the Padres, immediately making him a free agent.

Garland's decision came hours after the Padres exercised their 2011 option on three-time All-Star first baseman Adrian Gonzalez. Gonzo, 28, will make $5.5 million in the final season of his contractual obligation to the Padres. He becomes a free agent after the 2011 season. There was never a question about the Padres picking up the option on Gonzo.

However, the Padres on Thursday will reject the $8.5 million option for 2011 on Chris Young, making him a free agent.

With Garland and Young, it means there with be a total of eight free agents on the Padres roster.

Second baseman David Eckstein, right-handed starter Kevin Correia, pinch-hitter Matt Stairs and infielders Jerry Hairston Jr. and Miguel Tejada automatically became free agents with the end of the World Series while Torrealba became a free agent when he rejected his option for 2011. The Padres have until Dec. 1 to offer salary arbitration to their free agents.

Among the starting pitchers still under the Padres' control are Richard, Latos, Stauffer, LeBlanc and Luebke.

Torrealba, 32, and Garland are both seeking multiyear contracts -- a prime reason why they rejected the options.

Chargers put Shawne Merriman on waivers

Shawne Merriman, the man known as "Lights Out" because of his once-ferocious hits and once one of the most feared players in the NFL was put on waivers, a league source told ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter.

"Lights Out" had 39½ sacks in his first three seasons. He's had only four in the three seasons since then due to numbers of injuries. He was suspended for four games in 2006 after testing positive for steroids, he ended that year with 17 sacks. Merriman blamed the positive test on a tainted supplement.

He was arrested just before the 2009 season after reality television star Tila Tequila accused him of battery and false imprisonment at his home. No charges were filed, and Merriman and Tequila settled the lawsuits.

Merriman missed most of the 2008 season after undergoing reconstructive knee surgery. He had four sacks last year as he tried to regain his form. After sitting out most offseason workouts and part of training camp to protest his contract status, he was slowed by an Achilles injury and then a calf injury.

Good luck "Lights Out".

Padres pick up Gonzo's option

Source: AP

The San Diego Padres have exercised their option on All-Star first baseman Adrian Gonzalez for 2011. Next season is the final year of Gonzo's team-friendly contract.

The slugger, who grew up in the San Diego area and was the No. 1 overall pick by Florida in the 2000 amateur draft, will be too expensive for the Padres to keep. He was obtained in a trade with Texas before the 2006 season and has become one of the best first baseman in Major League Baseball.

Gonzo became a two-time Gold Glove Award winner, hit .298 with 31 homers and 101 RBIs this past season.

Padres general manager Jed Hoyer said at the end of last season that if Gonzalez wants Mark Teixeira or Ryan Howard money, "that's not something we're going to be able to do."

San Francisco Giants win the World Series

This is a little hard to swallow, since the Padres owned these guys all year long, winning 12 out of 18 games they played. But I love Bruce Botchy and Tim Flannery, so I got to give them their dues.

Congratulations to Botch, Flan and the Giants for winning the World Series.

Chargers win, even with more special teams blunder

Source: AP
Another Chargers special teams blunder led to a 2-0 Titans lead less than two minutes into the game. Nick Schommer blocked Mike Scifres' punt, with the ball bouncing out of the end zone and into the stands for a safety. The Chargers were down early again, and were booed as they left the field at halftime trailing the Titans by five.

That's when Norv Turner, criticized all season by outsiders because of his team's many blunders, made a speech that may have pumped up the team with what was described by some of the players as an emotional speech.

"He came out and expressed how he feels about this team, expressed how he believes in this team. We took that as a challenge. It meant something to him," Gates said.

"You could tell the emotion he had because he was getting pretty red," fullback Mike Tolbert said.

QB Philip Rivers said he thinks Turner gets unfairly criticized for his perceived lack of emotion. "He has plenty of passion and gives us plenty of motivation," Rivers said. "But this halftime was his best, as fiery as he's been. That's why it's so emotional. It's been tough. We don't deserve any sympathy. We've done it to ourselves."

Bothered by an injured toe, Gates took advantage of yet another mismatch. He got behind linebacker Will Witherspoon to haul in the go-ahead, 48-yard pass TD pass, his ninth of the season, for a 24-19 lead. Gates was late coming out of the locker room after halftime because he was getting his foot re-taped.

Rivers had his fifth 300-yard game of the season, tying his career high from last season. He completed 27 of 36 passes for 305 yards, with two TDs and one interception. His 2,649 yards are the most ever by an NFL quarterback in the first eight games of a season, bettering the old mark of 2,580 by Hall of Famer Dan Fouts for the Chargers in 1982.

Rivers also threw a 13-yard touchdown pass to Darren Sproles with 6:51 left. The Chargers botched the point after, which would have given them a nine-point lead.

Chargers rookie running back Ryan Mathews sustained cuts and scrapes when his helmet came off in the third quarter but he returned.

The Chargers trailed 19-7 late in the second quarter before getting three straight scores.

Mathews scored on a 7-yard run 1:55 before halftime and Kris Brown kicked a 34-yard field goal midway through the third quarter to bring the Chargers within two. Gates' touchdown catch gave San Diego its first lead since the first quarter. Brown kicked a 36-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter for a 27-19 lead. The Chargers ended up winning the game by the score of 33-25.

"They were the most complete team we've played," Turner said. "That's what makes this win that much more special to me."

It was not a pretty game, more special teams blunder and the defense gave up some big plays, but they at least got that win taste back in their mouths.