FLASH RECAP:
Phillip Rivers throws for two touchdowns as San Diego (11-5) beats host Oakland (4-12) for the ninth straight time before an announced crowd of 61,706 at McAfee Coliseum on Dec. 30, 2007.
San Diego wins its sixth straight game and secures a wild-card round home playoff game as the No. 3 seed in the AFC playoffs.
The self-destructing Raiders lose three fumbles, allow four sacks and have an interception.
Oakland caps its fifth straight losing season with its third straight loss.
The Chargers build a 24-10 lead in the middle of the third quarter when linebacker Jyles Tucker recovers a JaMarcus Russell fumble in the Raiders end zone for a touchdown and a 24-10 San Diego lead.
Making his first NFL start, the Raiders' Russell is 23-of-31 passing for 224 yards and one touchdown with one interception for a 91.3 efficiency rating. Russell's 32-yard touchdown pass to Jerry Porter trims the San Diego deficit to 24-17 with 1:19 left in the third quarter.
San Diego's Nate Kaeding is 3-for-3 on field goal attempts, including two in the fourth quarter.
PRIME-TIME PLAYERS:
QB Phillip Rivers — Is 13-of-23 passing for 135 yards and two TDs for an efficiency rating of 102.6.
OLB Jyles Tucker — Has a fumble recovery for a touchdown and three sacks. Chargers greats Fred Dean and Gary "Big Hands" Johnson have to be proud.
TE Antonio Gates — Has six catches for 62 yards.
TE Zach Miller — Has a game-high eight catches for 84 yards.
QB JaMarcus Russell — His 32-yard pass to Jerry Porter for a touchdown late in the third period gives Raiders fans a glimpse of a promising future. Russell's lost fumble, which is recovered by the Chargers for a touchdown, is a painful reminder of the short-lived Aaron Brooks era.
RB Dominic Rhodes — Has 122 rushing yards on 29 carries, his second straight 100-yard performance.
KEY STATS:
The Chargers' LaDainain Tomlinson has 56 rushing yards on 12 carries through three quarters. He scores the Chargers' first TD on a 7-yard catch. In 13 previous games against Oakland, L.T. had 1653 rushing yards and 16 TDs.
TURNING POINT:
With Oakland trailing 17-10, Raiders QB JaMarcus Russell fumbles in the Oakland end zone after being hit by Chargers LB Jyles Tucker, who recovers the loose football for a touchdown, giving San Diego a 24-10 lead with 7:12 left in the third quarter.
THEY SAID IT:
Raiders coach Lane Kiffin
"This isn’t going to happen again. We’re not going to be 4-12. We’re going to play better. We’re going to play our style of ball. We’re going to attack free agency. We’re going to attack the draft. We’re going to do whatever it takes."
"Last year seemed like we breezed through the whole season. This year, there was a lot of adversity. It was more difficult, so I think for me, it's even more special. That's because we really had to work for it. ... It feels great.”
Chargers RB LaDainian Tomlinson
"If that was the last time Raiders fans got a look at Warren Sapp on the field, I wanted it to be something special."
Raiders DT Warren Sapp
BY THE NUMBERS:
2: Chargers touchdowns after JaMarcus Russell turnovers, a first-quarter interception and third-quarter fumble after being sacked.
9: Consecutive Raiders losses to the Chargers.
10: Sacks allowed by Oakland in two games this season to San Diego. The Raiders surrendered six sacks during a 28-14 loss to the Chargers on Oct. 14.
DID YOU KNOW?:
Norv Turner leads the Chargers to an 11-5 record in his first season as San Diego head coach. He was 9-23 with the Raiders, getting fired after going 4-12 in 2005. He had a 49-59-1 record in seven seasons with the Redskins.
Oakland's Shane Lechler sets an NFL single-season record for net punting. The eight-year veteran finishes with an average of 41.1 net yards per punt, narrowly edging the 49ers' Andy Lee at 41.0. The previous record was 39.9 by the New York Giants' Mike Horan in 1993.
Dominic Rhodes becomes the first Raider to reach 100 rushing yards against the Chargers since Napoleon Kaufman accomplished the feat in 1997.
During his first seven NFL seasons, the Chargers’ LaDainian Tomlinson has more rushing attempts (357), rushing yards (1,709) and rushing touchdowns (16) against the Raiders than any other team.
Chargers QB Phillip Rivers (17)
is sacked by Raiders DT Tyler Brayton.
