Inspired Chargers Light Up the Raiders : Pro football: With 27-3 victory over their AFC West rival, the Chargers are on track for their first playoff berth since 1982.
SAN DIEGO — The Chargers paid tribute to Dan Fouts and Charlie Joiner on an electrifying Sunday night that went on to commemorate the official “Return of the Lightning Bolts.”
Although they opened the season 0-4, the marketing guys had it right all along: The Chargers (7-5) are back.
The Chargers threw a 27-3 jolt into the Raiders in front of 59,894 fans in San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium, and they are on track to make the playoffs for the first time since 1982.
“I’m going to Disneyland,” said Charger guard David Richards.
Bring on the Cardinals, Bengals, Raiders and Seahawks, and when was the last time they showed a smiling Alex Spanos on national TV?
“I’ll tell you, he smiled a lot tonight,” General Manager Bobby Beathard said. “It’s great for the fans because they deserve something like this. We just have to get ready now, and not screw this up. A lot of attention is going to be paid to our team, and that’s fine, but at the same time they don’t want to get lost in that.”
Here comes national media attention: The Chargers have won seven of their last eight games, and they appear to be getting better as each contest takes on added significance.
“This was probably the best we have played as a whole team all year,” linebacker Gary Plummer said. “It was like every time the Raiders had a chance to come back, somebody put another nail in the coffin.
“In years past we might have been up on the Raiders and let them get back in the game. But we didn’t do that this time.”
They fired out to a 21-3 halftime lead, and after it was announced to the crowd that Fouts and Joiner will be inducted into the Chargers’ Hall of Fame next season, they added a pair of John Carney field goals to secure the victory.
“That’s one heck of a football team,” Richards said, “I think this legitimizes all the wins we have had this year.”
The Raiders (5-7) arrived for the game having won five of their last seven games, and they were poised to take a lead as Jeff Jaeger set up for a 38-yard field goal in the first quarter.
Linebacker Kevin Murphy, however, threw an arm up in time to block Jaeger’s attempt, and the Raiders never really were the same after that.
“The guard and tackle didn’t lock arms and the hole just opened up,” Murphy said. “I didn’t see it, but the ball then hit my arm.”
When the ball bounced off the hands of wide receiver Willie Gault on the Raiders’ next possession, Charger safety Stanley Richard was there at the Chargers’ 25-yard line to make the shoestring interception. Richard returned the ball 20 yards to the Charger 45 to set up the Chargers’ first score.
On second and 10 from the Raiders’ 20, Marion Butts, who ran for a 50-yard touchdown against the Raiders in his NFL debut, was on his way to scoring again when he fumbled two yards short of the goal line.
Wide receiver Anthony Miller, who had run down field to throw a block for Butts, picked up the loose ball and stumbled into the end zone for the touchdown.
“That’s one of the first things I’m going to show the players on tape,” Coach Bobby Ross said. “We’ve been preaching that all year: hustle down the field. Big plays don’t happen without good effort.”
The Raiders responded with a 36-yard field goal from Jaeger to trail 7-3, but then that put the ball back in quarterback Stan Humphries’ hands.
“He’s the guy who is making it happen,” said Charger cornerback Gill Byrd.
Humphries is making it happen because he’s getting the ball to play-makers such as Ronnie Harmon. On second and 13 at the Raiders’ 46 in the second quarter, Humphries dumped a short pass over the middle to Harmon, who was being held by a Raider defender.
Harmon reached out one hand, grabbed the ball, shook himself free and danced to the Raiders’ one-yard line, setting up Butts’ bull rush for the touchdown and a 14-3 lead.
“Amazing, unbelievable,” Humphries said. “I see it all the time in practice, too. Amazing, unbelievable.”
Ross appointed Harmon team captain for the game and had him join the 11 offensive starters for pre-game introductions.
“I know we went one over with 12 players in introductions,” Ross said, “but I think he’s a guy that hasn’t been recognized a lot and he’s come up with big play after big play.”
The Raiders tried to rally before halftime, but after quarterback Jay Schroeder hit wide receiver Tim Brown at the Chargers’ 24, safety Delton Hall forced Brown to fumble. Linebacker Junior Seau picked it up, ran, lateraled it to Sean Vanhorse, and then Vanhorse pitched it to Darren Carrington.
The Chargers took possession at the Raiders’ 48, and on second down Harmon weaved and wiggled his way out of bounds for a 33-yard gain off a draw play.
Humphries’ pass into the end zone to Harmon on first down appeared to be a touchdown, but the officials ruled that Harmon dropped the ball. Wide receiver appeared to have caught Humphries’ second-down pass, which was fumbled into the end zone and recovered by the Raiders. The officials, however, ruled once again no catch.
On third down, Humphries found a diving Shawn Jefferson for a 15-yard touchdown and a 21-3 lead with 16 seconds remaining in the second quarter.
“It’s a special moment in my life,” Seau said. “When you start from scratch and build up to 7-5, it’s a big accomplishment.”
The Raiders came out running the ball, and Eric Dickerson went on to become the first back in 24 games against the Chargers to gain more than 100 yards with 103 on 17 carries.
The Raiders’ game plan appeared effective, but lacked only one detail: a play to get the ball in the end zone.
“They ran the ball on us which was disappointing, but the goal on defense is to keep your opponent out of the end zone,” Plummer said, “and we did that.”
The Chargers’ offense hogged the ball in the third quarter and allowed the Raiders’ offense to run only three plays in the period. They got the ball only twice more in the fourth quarter, but in the second half they were limited to 74 yards on 17 plays.
“It’s very frustrating,” said Schroeder, who completed 14 of 19 for 166 yards. “San Diego has always had a lot of talent, and now they have the confidence to go with it.”
The Chargers have four games remaining against opponents with a combined record of 13-34. They trail first-place Kansas City in the AFC West by one game, and will need a team such as Denver or Houston to fall by the wayside to earn a wild card berth if the Chiefs continue to win.
“I don’t know the ramifications of everything involved in making the playoffs,” Ross said. “I probably should, but it’s hard for me to absorb all this. I start looking to Phoenix next week right away, and that’s where I am right now.
“I’m going to tell you this: You got to learn to win and you also got to learn to put it behind you and get ready for the next one. So as long as we’re in the hunt, that’s what we got to do.”
