Regular Season Game #14

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Total

San Diego

0

3

7

12

22

Kansas City

7

7

7

0

21

Chargers Keep Slim Playoff Hopes Alive with Rally in Kansas City

Regular Season Game #14

NFL.com l Video Highlights

Chiefs K Connor Barth & LS Thomas Gafford react after Barth's missed 50-yard field goal.

Dec. 14- The San Diego Chargers got lucky. Even better, they've got Philip Rivers.

After their onside kick bounced off Chiefs wideout Dwayne Bowe's chest and Kassim Osgood recovered for San Diego, Rivers needed just four plays Sunday to complete one of the most stirring comebacks of the season.

With 1:19 left, Rivers hit Malcom Floyd with a 4-yard TD pass. Then his 10-yarder to Vincent Jackson with 36 seconds to go lifted the Chargers to a 22-21 victory over the stunned Chiefs, who led 21-3 in the third quarter.

"We never stopped believing," said Chargers tackle Marcus McNeill. "I think (the Chiefs) thought they had the game won when the clock was low in the fourth quarter. But we knew if we got another chance that we were going to go down there and score."

After their try for a two-point conversion failed, the Chargers (6-8) still needed help from the football gods. Aided by a delay-of-game penalty, the Chiefs (2-12) tried a 50-yard field goal on the final play. Connor Barth, who had been 9-for-9 before missing a 34-yarder in the first half, was wide left.

"I'm kind of speechless. Don't know what to say," Barth said. "There's no excuse."

Rivers, who came in with an NFL-best 102.0 passer rating, was 34-for-48 for 346 yards and two touchdowns when his team needed them the most.

But he could hardly bare to watch Barth's attempt at the winner.

"I had a pretty good view and a pretty sick stomach," he said. "I was just thinking, 'There is no way this can happen again.' He certainly had plenty of leg, but just missed it left."

A loss would have officially eliminated San Diego's slender playoff hopes. But Rivers said the Chargers, preseason Super Bowl favorites, would not let even a Denver victory over Carolina later Sunday dampen the thrill of beating K.C. (the Broncos lost 30-10).

"There have been so many doubts and we've fallen so short of the expectations," he said. "The way we've bounced back these past two weeks in our division and won says a lot about our guys. It is big for our locker room and team, no matter what plays out the rest of the day."

The Chiefs will have to win their final two games to avoid setting a franchise record for fewest wins in a 16-game season.

"I'm still in utter shock right now," said linebacker Rocky Boiman. "How we can come so close and still somehow let it slip away, it doesn't seem possible."

Losing a 21-3 lead is not even the worst thing that's befallen the Chiefs in this miserable season. Against Tampa Bay, they squandered a 24-3 advantage, a team record.

Bowe, who caught a 1-yard TD pass from Tyler Thigpen, appeared to have the onside kick.

"I think sometimes he takes his eye off the ball," said Chiefs coach Herm Edwards. "Those are plays you have to make along the way."

After the onside kick, Rivers' first play produced a 39-yard pass to Vincent Jackson to the 19.

Thigpen threw for one touchdown and ran for another for the Chiefs and was 19-for-28 for 171 yards.

The Chargers had three turnovers and, perhaps more embarrassing, gave up three sacks to the NFL's worst pass rush. Tamba Hali had two sacks and caused two fumbles for a Chiefs defense that hadn't gotten a sack since playing San Diego four games ago.

The three sacks pushed Kansas City's season total to a league-low nine, and the Chiefs need five in their last two games to avoid tying the NFL record for fewest in a season.

Running back Larry Johnson capped a 96-yard drive with a 4-yard TD pass to Tony Gonzalez on Kansas City's first possession.

Patrick Surtain's 50-yard return of an interception set up Thigpen's 3-yard TD in the third period.

Individual Statistics

Kansas City Passing:

Tyler Thigpen 19 of 28 for 171 yards, 1 touchdown and 1 interception

Larry Johnson 1 of 1 for 4 yards and 1 touchdown

San Diego Passing:

Philip Rivers 34 of 48 for 346 yards, 2 touchdowns and 1 interception

Kansas City Rushing:

Larry Johnson 17 carries for 55 yards

Tyler Thigpen 10 carries for 40 yards and 1 touchdown

Jamaal Charles 4 carries for 7 yards

San Diego Rushing:

LaDainian Tomlinson 15 carries for 39 yards and 1 touchdown

Philip Rivers 2 carries for 12 yards

Jacob Hester 1 carry for 9 yards

Vincent Jackson 1 carry for 8 yards

Kansas City Receiving:

Tony Gonzalez 6 receptions for 62 yards and 1 touchdown

Dwayne Bowe 6 receptions for 44 yards and 1 touchdown

Devard Darling 2 receptions for 27 yards

Will Franklin 3 receptions for 24 yards

Larry Johnson 3 receptions for 18 yards

San Diego Receiving:

Vincent Jackson 6 receptions for 89 yards and 1 touchdown

Antonio Gates 7 receptions for 78 yards

Malcom Floyd 5 receptions for 67 yards and 1 touchdown

LaDainian Tomlinson 6 receptions for 35 yards

Chris Chambers 2 receptions for 28 yards

Jacob Hester 3 receptions for 24 yards

Brandon Manumaleuna 1 reception for 14 yards

Darren Sproles 4 receptions for 11 yards

Kansas City Tackles-Assists-Sacks:

Brandon Flowers 10-0-0, Rocky Boiman 7-0-0, Jason Babin 5-1-1, Brandon Carr 5-0-0, Tamba Hali 5-0-2, Bernard Pollard 5-2-0, Jarrad Page 4-2-0, Derrick Johnson 3-2-0, Patrick Surtain 2-0-0, Tank Tyler 2-0-0, Glenn Dorsey 1-1-0, Ron Edwards 1-0-0, Jon McGraw 1-0-0, DaJuan Morgan 1-0-0, Demorrio Williams 1-2-0

San Diego Tackles-Assists-Sacks:

Stephen Cooper 9-2-0, Shaun Phillips 5-0-0, Eric Weddle 5-0-0, Antwan Applewhite 4-1-0, Jamal Williams 4-0-0, Steve Gregory 3-1-0, Antoine Cason 2-1-0, Jacques Cesaire 2-0-0, Tim Dobbins 2-0-0, Marques Harris 2-0-0, Quentin Jammer 2-0-0, Matt Wilhelm 2-0-0, Paul Oliver 1-0-0, Igor Olshansky 1-0-0, Ryon Bingham 0-1-0, Brandon Siler 0-1-0

Kansas City Fumble Recoveries:

Tamba Hali 1 for 0 yards

Bernard Pollard 1 for 0 yards

San Diego Fumble Recoveries:

Kassim Osgood 1 for 0 yards

Kansas City Interceptions:

Patrick Surtain 1 for 50 yards

San Diego Interceptions:

Stephen Cooper 1 for 0 yards

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