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It's A Meaningful Win For Chargers

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By BERNIE WILSON, The Associated Press

Published: December 26, 2007

SAN DIEGO - Don't tell the San Diego Chargers and Denver Broncos that their Christmas Eve game didn't mean anything.
John Lynch met LaDainian Tomlinson head-on early in the first quarter, a collision of two star players following a simple 2-yard run.

Normally they'd get up and get ready for the next play. Not this time. Tomlinson's helmet came off, and Lynch took it with both hands and threw it about 10 yards, drawing an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty and the wrath of the crowd.

"I thought it was going to be that kind of a night, where even the good guys turn to bad guys," Tomlinson said.

It turned out to be a walkover for the Chargers, who beat the Denver Broncos 23-3 on Monday night, with Tomlinson closing in on his second straight NFL rushing title and San Diego closing on the No. 3 playoff seed.

"This was a meaningful game," said Chargers defensive end Luis Castillo, who returned from a six-game injury absence and recovered a fumble and had a sack. "This wasn't a game that didn't matter. And it's not about the third seed. It's about a divisional opponent that we've had some trouble beating in the past, whether it's in Denver or here."

Tomlinson had a 17-yard scoring run among his 107 yards before sitting out the bulk of the second half, already having taken the rushing lead with 1,418 yards.

His route to another title was made easier when Pittsburgh's Willie Parker (1,316) broke his right lower leg on Thursday night, finishing his season. L.T.'s closest pursuer is Minnesota rookie Adrian Peterson, who has 1,305 yards.

A few plays after their encounter, Lynch apologized to L.T. and the two shook hands.

"It is something I've never done in my career. I am embarrassed by it," said Lynch, a 15-year veteran safety who grew up in San Diego and won a Super Bowl there with the Bucs five years ago. "There are no excuses on that. I just lost my head for a second. I've always played hard. That's what I was doing there, but I went too far and I apologize for everything."

The helmet toss went farther than most of Denver's offensive plays, as the Broncos gained only 225 yards.

"Lynch is a competitor," Tomlinson said. "He's never been a player who would do something like that. But he told me that he lost his head, and I accepted his apology."

The AFC West champion Chargers (10-5) won their fifth straight game and for the ninth time in 11 games. They need to win at Oakland on Sunday to secure the AFC's No. 3 seed.

The Chargers held the Broncos (6-9) without a touchdown in the season series. The Chargers beat the Broncos 41-3 at Denver on Oct. 7 to end a three-game losing streak.

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