FLASH RECAP:
A controversial ruling, which negates an Oakland fumble recovery early in the fourth quarter, is the pivotal play in San Diego’s come-from-behind victory.
LaDainian Tomlinson rushes for two touchdowns and throws for another to lead the Chargers (9-2) to a win over the Raiders (2-9) before an announced crowd of 66,105 at Qualcomm Stadium on Nov. 26, 2006.
San Diego's comeback is aided by a ruling by the game's officiating crew.
To wit:
Chargers quarterback Phillip Rivers completes a pass to wide receiver Vincent Jackson on a fourth-and-2 play. Jackson makes a diving catch for a 13-yard gain to the Oakland 27.
Jackson then leaps to his feet and celebrates by spinning the ball. Raiders cornerback Fabian Washington notices Jackson hasn’t been touched by a defender and recovers the ball at the Oakland 25.
The officials signal Oakland possession.
Not so fast.
After the zebras (officials) huddle, Jackson is penalized 5 yards for an illegal forward pass, with San Diego still having enough yardage for a first down at the Oakland 32.
Four plays later, the Chargers tie the score on Tomlinson’s 19-yard touchdown pass to tight end Antonio Gates with 9:26 left.
Referee Mike Carey tells reporters after San Diego’s seventh straight win over Oakland:
"Because (Jackson) intentionally threw the ball, and so it is either a forward or backward pass. In that case, it was forward."
Carey says his crew never ruled the play a fumble. He says their signaling Raiders ball was done so because "I misinterpreted the result of the play."
Says the Raiders’ Washington: "Think about it. (Pittsburgh’s) Plaxico (Burress), his rookie year, did the exact same thing. It was a fumble then. Today, it wasn’t."
Oakland builds a 14-7 lead on ReShard Lee’s 1-yard touchdown run and Aaron Brooks’ 2-yard scoring pass to tight end John Madsen.
The Raiders drop their 13th straight game to an AFC West opponent, and they’re 2-21 in division games since 2003.
PRIME-TIME PLAYERS:
RB LaDainian Tomlinson — Rushes for 109 yards on 19 carries and two touchdowns. L.T.'s 10-yard scoring run with 3:39 left gives the Chargers a 21-14 lead. He also also throws a game-tying 19-yard TD pass to Antonio Gates.
TE Antonio Gates — His 19-yard touchdown reception with 9:46 left deadlocks the score at 14-all. Gates finishes with a game-high 6 catches for 81 yards.
ILB Randall Godfrey — Contibutes a game-high 12 solo tackles and one of the Chargers’ five sacks on Aaron Brooks.
Raiders defense — The unit limits the potent San Diego offense to 260 total yards (150 passing, 110 rushing). The Chargers entered the game averaging 374.6 yards (fourth best in the NFL).
TE John Madsen — Scores his first career NFL touchdown in the third quarter on a 2-yard pass from Aaron Brooks, giving the Raiders a 14-7 lead. Madsen finishes with 3 catches for 69 yards, including a career-best 57-yarder.
CB Nnamdi Asomugha — His third-quarter interception is his fifth this season, equaling the Raiders’ interception total during the 2005 season.
TURNING POINT:
With the Raiders leading 14-7 early in the fourth quarter, an apparent Chargers fumble at the Raiders' 25-yard line is ruled an incomplete forward pass. Foru plays later, San Diego scores the tying touchdown and goes on to defeat stunned Oakland for the seventh straight time.
KEY STAT:
San Diego’s LaDainian Tomlinson scores his 22nd and 23rd touchdowns, five shy of Shaun Alexander’s single-season record of 28, set in 2005. L.T. has 21 TDs the past seven games.
THEY SAID IT:
Raiders DT Warren Sapp
"If he can get up and run with it, then he can get up and fumble it. I don’t understand. That’s a live ball. But you learn something new every day."
"I was more confused than nervous. I didn’t know what was going on. You’re on the field, off the field, on the field, off the field ... I am just glad they made the right call."
Chargers RB LaDainian Tomlinson
"Their offense was out there and then our offense was out there and then they reversed it again and then we had the ball. I had never seen such. I was trying to hear as much as I could. I probably drove those officials crazy trying to find out.
"I still don’t understand the call, but I’m glad it worked to our side. A lot of guys are going to have outs now. If they think they are touched or downed and weren’t, as long as they throw it forward, I guess it’s all right."
Chargers QB Phillip Rivers
BY THE NUMBERS:
2: Aaron Brooks interceptions during the fourth quarter.
9: Consecutive Raiders road losses, including six this season.
14: Raiders sacks allowed in two games this season against the Chargers. San Diego had nine sacks against Oakland during a 27-0 win in their season opener.
DID YOU KNOW?:
The Raiders-Chargers game is the the seventh time since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970 that the highest-scoring and lowest-scoring teams played each other in the final half of the season. For the seventh straight time, the highest-scoring team emerges victorious. The Chargers entered the game with a 33.2-point average. The Raiders averaged 11.8 points in their first 10 games.
Chargers coach Marty Schottenheimer improves to 27-7 against the Raiders (including 1-0 postseason).
The Raiders lose a franchise-record seventh straight game to the Chargers. Oakland dropped six in a row to the Los Angeles/San Diego Chargers from 1960 to 1962.
Raiders TE John Madsen picks up yards
against the Chargers after a catch.
