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Chargers win 10th straight, wrap up No. 2 seed

Sproles scores 3 TDs as San Diego eliminates Tennessee from contention

Rivers, an Alabama native, had his own cheering section with approximately 70 tickets for family and friends. He gave them plenty to celebrate.

“It did have a little bit of, ‘You’re in your own backyard’ feel to it,” Rivers said of playing two hours’ away from his boyhood home.

He threw for 264 yards and topped 4,000 yards passing for a second straight season. He directed the Chargers to TDs on six out of seven drives before leaving seconds into the fourth quarter. The exception? His kneel-down to end the first half as the NFL’s third-rated passer picked apart a Tennessee defense ranked next to last in the NFL in yards allowed.

“It’s as good a rhythm as we’ve been in all year,” Rivers said. “It felt like a guy that’s hit a couple of 3-point shots in a row.”

Tomlinson scored on a pair of 1-yard runs, the first giving San Diego a 7-3 lead it never lost. That also was his 137th rushing TD of the decade, topping the 136 TDs Emmitt Smith had in the 1990s for most in a decade in the NFL. Tomlinson’s second put him at 138.

Three Titans were flagged for neutral-zone infractions on San Diego’s first TD drive of the game, and Tennessee drew two 15-yarders at the end of the same play for another Chargers’ TD drive. Defensive end William Hayes pushed Rivers too late, then officials flagged Titans defensive coordinator Chuck Cecil for unsportsmanlike conduct.

“Philip does a nice job on the line of scrimmage with the snap count, but there’s no need for that,” Fisher said. “That’s borderline selfish. We just need to play football and move when the brown thing moves and not guess.”

Young had been nearly perfect at home since coming off the bench with only four turnovers in going 7-1 as a starter. Then he turned it over on successive drives in the second quarter, first as Brandon Siler picked off a pass at the Tennessee 19. On the next, he fumbled as he scrambled at midfield.

Rivers made the Titans pay for each of Young’s mistakes. He scrambled and found Antonio Gates wide open for a 36-yard TD upheld by review after Fisher challenged whether the quarterback was over the line of scrimmage when he let loose with the throw. After Young’s fumble, Rivers tossed a 3-yarder to Sproles.

NOTES: The Chargers lead the series 24-16-1 between the two original AFL franchises. ... San Diego went 7-1 on the road this season. ... San Diego has outscored opponents 74-16 in the first quarter during its 10-game winning streak. ... Rivers has thrown a TD pass in 12 straight games, extending his career-best streak. ... Young had fumbled only once and had four interceptions in his previous eight starts this season. ... The Titans had won five straight home games.

© 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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