Spokesman-Review
National Football League
San Diego 34, Baltimore 14
When: 8:20 PM ET, Sunday, December 18, 2011
Where: Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, California
Temperature: 58°
Head Official: Carl Cheffers
Attendance: 67242

The San Diego Chargers got two rushing touchdowns from Ryan Mathews and a slew of long completions by Philip Rivers on the way to a 34-14 win over the visiting Baltimore Ravens on Sunday night.

Given up for dead long ago after suffering through a six-game losing streak, the Chargers (7-7) and embattled coach Norv Turner won their third straight game and moved within a game of Denver for first place in the AFC West.

In snapping Baltimore’s four-game winning streak, the Chargers have outscored their opponents 109-38 in their last three.

The Ravens (10-4), who clinched a playoff berth earlier in the day, fell one-half game behind Pittsburgh in the AFC North and one game behind New England for the best record in the conference.

San Diego took its opening possession 74 yards in a dozen plays for a touchdown and never trailed. Mike Tolbert capped the drive with a 2-yard touchdown rush.

The Ravens tied it up on their next possession when Joe Flacco threw a 5-yard scoring pass to Ed Dickson early in the second quarter but their vaunted defense couldn’t stop the Chargers all night.

The Chargers, who had seven sacks, scored 27 unanswered points to put the game away. They took a 17-7 lead into the break when Mathews (26 carries, 90 yards) capped an 80-yard drive with a 1-yard run with 19 seconds left in the second quarter.

Rivers (17 for 23, 270 yards) then threw his lone touchdown pass of the game, a 28-yard connection to Malcom Floyd on their first possession in the third quarter.

Flacco hooked up with Torrey Smith on a 36-yard touchdown pass late in the game to wrap up of the scoring. Ray Rice gained 57 yards on 10 carries for Baltimore.
Top Game Performances
Rushing
Baltimore   San Diego
Ray Rice Player Ryan Mathews
10 Attempts 26
57 Yards 90
5.7 Avg Yards 3.5
0 Touchdowns 2
22 Long 24
Receiving
Baltimore   San Diego
Torrey Smith Player Malcom Floyd
6 Receptions 5
77 Yards 96
12.8 Avg Yards 19.2
1 Touchdowns 1
36 Long 28
Team Stats Summary
 
  Yards Scoring Defense
Team Tot Rus Pas TD FG INT Sck FF
Baltimore 290 89 201 2 0 0 0.0 1
San Diego 415 145 270 4 2 2 7.0 1
Upcoming Games
  • San Diego will play their next game on the road against Detroit. The Chargers have a W/L % of .000 after a win and .000 after a loss.
  • Baltimore will play their next game at home against Cleveland. The Ravens have a W/L % of .000 after a win and .000 after a loss.