LT finally finds end zone as Bolts beat Jets 48-29

[September 23, 2008]  SAN DIEGO (AP) -- Philip Rivers, LaDainian Tomlinson and the rest of the San Diego Chargers simply left no doubt. Frustrated by two gut-wrenching losses, the Chargers raced past nemesis Brett Favre and the New York Jets for a 48-29 victory Monday night in a wild game befitting two original AFL teams.

Rivers threw three touchdown passes, Tomlinson scored his first two TDs of the season and San Diego finally got back at Favre after all these years. They sacked him four times and intercepted him twice, including a 52-yard return for a score by All-Pro cornerback Antonio Cromartie.

Favre always seemed to come up big on Monday nights with Green Bay. This night, though, he finally lost to the Chargers after beating them five straight times dating to 1993.

San Diego (1-2) looked like the team picked by many to reach the Super Bowl. The Chargers lost their opener to Carolina on the last play, then lost by one point at Denver in a game remembered for referee Ed Hochuli's blown call that set up the Broncos' winning score.

Tomlinson, the two-time defending NFL rushing champion, scored on a 2-yard leap to give the Chargers a 38-14 lead in the third quarter. He had been slowed since jamming his right big toe late in the Carolina game. He scored on another 2-yard run late in the fourth quarter, one play after Rivers' 60-yard pass to Vincent Jackson.

Rivers has thrown three TD passes in every game this season. He was 19-of-25 for 250 yards on Monday, while Tomlinson had 67 yards on 26 carries, his third straight game under 100 yards.

Favre had three touchdown passes for the Jets (1-2), including fourth-quarter TD throws of 4 yards to Chansi Stuckey and 13 yards to Dustin Keller. The 38-year-old Favre was 30-of-42 for 271 yards.

The Chargers could have had two more picks, but safety Clinton Hart dropped Favre's fourth-down pass in the end zone late in the third quarter and Cromartie let an interception and a sure touchdown clang off his hands in the first quarter. Cromartie intercepted backup QB Kellen Clemens in the end zone in the final minute.

The Chargers scored three times and the Jets once in a crazy span of 5 minutes, 46 seconds spanning the first and second quarters.

Rivers recovered from an early blunder to throw a 1-yard touchdown pass to rookie fullback Mike Tolbert for a 10-7 lead late with 2:03 left in the first quarter.

On the fourth play of the next Jets' drive, Cromartie overpowered Laveranues Coles and took the ball away, racing 52 yards for a 17-7 lead.

Leon Washington returned the kickoff 94 yards to the San Diego 5. Two plays later, Favre hit Coles on a 3-yard TD pass to pull the Jets within 17-14.

San Diego's Marques Harris recovered an onside kick at the Jets 44 to set up a 27-yard scoring pass from Rivers to Chris Chambers that made it 24-14 11:17 before halftime.

Eric Weddle intercepted Favre to set up Rivers' 6-yard scoring pass to tight end Antonio Gates for a 31-14 lead late in the second quarter.

Jets cornerback David Barrett stunned the Chargers and quieted the crowd at Qualcomm Stadium when he jumped in front of Gates for an interception he returned 25 yards for a touchdown less than four minutes into the game. 

[Associated Press; By BERNIE WILSON]

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