Chargers keep play-off bid alive
San Diego Chargers kept their faint play-off hopes alive as they beat the Buffalo Bills 37-10.
Philip Rivers threw three touchdown passes, two to Antonio Gates, as the Bills (5-8) lost their sixth straight game and was eliminated from play-off contention for the 12th straight year.
Rivers was 24 of 33 for 240 yards. Ryan Mathews gained 114 yards on 20 carries, the first time he’s had three straight 100-yard games.
The Bills made it a game when Rivers fumbled while going back to pass early in the third quarter. The ball rolled into the end zone and Bryan Scott shoved aside the QB to recover for a touchdown that pulled the Bills to 16-10.
Momentum
San Diego regained the momentum with the fake punt on the next drive. With the Chargers in punt formation at their 32, safety Eric Weddle, the up-back, took the snap and ran 10 yards for a first down.
Vincent Jackson had consecutive catches of 16, 17 and 13 yards. Rivers scrambled for nine yards and an apparent TD, but it came back on a holding call against right tackle Jeromey Clary.
Three plays later, Gates broke free in the end zone for a two-yard scoring catch.
On Buffalo’s first play from scrimmage, Steve Gregory intercepted Ryan Fitzpatrick and returned it 26 yards for a 30-10 lead.
Rivers also threw a 26-yard scoring pass to Patrick Crayton. Fitzpatrick was 13 of 34 for 176 and two interceptions.
The Chargers scored on their first three drives. Rivers was six for six for 63 yards on the opening possession, including a nin-yard TD pass to Gates.
Intercepted
Weddle intercepted Fitzpatrick and returned it 26 yards to the San Diego 45, Rivers completed two more passes for 20 yards and Mike Tolbert finished the drive with a 1-yard run. The PAT was blocked and San Diego lead 13-0.
Mathews’ 37-yard bust up the middle on the next drive set up Nick Novak’s 47-yard field goal for a 16-0 lead that held up at half-time.
The Bills had an impressive drive to open the second half, including Stevie Johnson’s 53-yard catch-and-run, to reach the Chargers’ nine-yard line. But two incompletions by Fitzpatrick and a sack by Antwan Barnes forced the Bills to settle for Dave Rayner’s 37-yard field goal.
