Kansas City, MO (Sports Network) - Philip Rivers completed 18-of-30 passes for
268 yards and three touchdowns, as the San Diego Chargers demolished the lowly
Kansas City Chiefs, 37-7, in a Week 7 battle between AFC West rivals at
Arrowhead Stadium.
Vincent Jackson caught five passes for a season-high 142 yards and a touchdown
for the Chargers (3-3), who snapped a two-game skid. LaDainian Tomlinson
rushed for a season-high 71 yards on 23 carries. Darren Sproles caught three
passes for 58 yards and a score. He also rushed for 41 yards on just five
carries.
"Last week we felt we made progress. We had the focus, but we didn't win. You
can't measure it when you lose. A win's a win in this league. They don't give
you any bonus points on how bad you win," Rivers said.
Matt Cassel connected on 10-of-25 passes for 97 yards with a touchdown and
three interceptions for the Chiefs (1-6), who were coming off a 14-6 victory
over the Redskins last Sunday. Larry Johnson rushed for 49 yards on 16
carries. Bobby Wade hauled in four passes for 66 yards, while Dwayne Bowe
caught a TD pass for Kansas City, which has suffered defeats in 29 of its past
32 games.
"It's always difficult. You never want to lose at home and you never want to
lose in this fashion. So we have to go back and regroup," Cassel said.
The Chargers took control of the game early, scoring a pair of touchdowns in
the first quarter.
San Diego put together a 10-play, 80-yard scoring drive with its second
possession of the game. Tomlinson got the march started with a 36-yard run
and Malcom Floyd capped things with a three-yard TD catch.
The Chiefs decided to go for it on a 4th-and-1 at their own 41 during their
ensuing possession. However, Cassel's quarterback sneak came up short. The
Chargers took over on downs and used a 10-yard Jackson touchdown reception to
take a 14-0 lead with 1:23 left.
A 51-yard pass to Jackson helped set up a 20-yard Nate Kaeding field goal
early in the second period, giving San Diego a 17-0 margin. With 3:07 left
until the half, Kaeding failed to extend the gap when he missed a 43-yard
field goal wide right.
Kansas City moved the ball down the field near the end of the half, but Ryan
Succop missed a 43-yard field goal with 1:07 to go. That left enough time for
San Diego to put another three points on the board before the break. Kaeding's
39-yarder made it 20-0 heading into the locker room.
The Chiefs got the ball to start the third frame and marched right down the
field for a TD. Faced with a 4th-and-1 at the Chargers 25, Kansas City got a
first down due to a defensive pass interference call. A few plays later, Bowe
caught a seven-yard pass along the left sideline in the end zone on a 4th-
and-1. The 10-play, 65-yard scoring drive cut the gap to 20-7 with 9:48
remaining in the third.
Sproles' 58-yard TD catch made it 27-7 with 5:45 to go in the third.
Following a Steve Gregory interception, Kaeding drilled a 19-yard field goal
to make it 30-7 with 11:40 left in the fourth. Jacob Hester scored on a
blocked punt to put the Chargers ahead 37-7 with 9:13 to go.