Another big lead that got away. This time it came back and didn't disappear again.
The San Diego Chargers won a 43-35 shootout against the Tennessee Titans at Qualcomm Stadium on Sunday.
As they have done multiple times this season the Chargers took control of the game on the opening drive. Philip Rivers led a 75-yard touchdown drive, hitting tight end Antonio Gates for a 13-yard touchdown. Kicker Josh Lambo missed the point-after try so the Bolts led 6-0.
San Diego's defense started well against the Titans. The Bolts forced two consecutive 3-and-outs to put their offense back on the field. On one drive they got a short Josh Lambo field goal. On the next they found the end zone again.
A 43-yard run my Melvin Gordon set up Rivers to Tyrell Williams for a 6-yard score and a 16-0 Chargers lead. Gordon ran for 100 yards in the first half alone, becoming the first San Diego back to top the century mark in the first half since 2007 when both LaDainian Tomlinson and Darren Sproles did it against the Lions. He finished with 196 yards on 32 carries.
But as is so often the case with this team the lead disappeared rapidly. San Diego kicked a field goal at the end of the first half to make it a 19-7 game. Then Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota found a groove. He took Tennessee 75 yards in 1:18, with no time outs, and hit Rishard Matthews for a 7-yard touchdown just before halftime to cut the lead to 19-14.
Then Mariota and the Titans took the 2nd half kickoff on a joy ride again. Using a no-huddle offense the former Heisman Trophy winner engineered a 9-play, 75-yard drive that features just one running play ... the one where the QB took it himself for a 14-yard touchdown and a 21-19 Titans lead.
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Said lead lasted six minutes and 52 seconds. Rivers and the Bolts grounded out a 14-play drive that covered 75 yards and ended with Gordon plowing in from the one yard line. The Chargers may have learned from last week's missed opportunity when they passed four straight time after having a 1st and goal from the two yard line and failed to score in Denver.
Then the Bolts defense made arguably its biggest play of the season. Mariota tried to run the option, a play that helped him become one of the best QB's in college football history, but he was hit by Melvin Ingram and fumbled. Safety Dwight Lowery scooped it up and ran 43 yards for a touchdown and a 12-point lead.
That was just the first defensive touchdown of the afternoon. In the 4th quarter Brandon Flowers jumped a route, picked off a pass and took it 33 yards for another touchdown to make it 43-28 and put the game out of reach.
The Chargers and Titans are both 4-5. San Diego has one more home game, next Sunday against the Dolphins, before their bye week.
