SAN DIEGO (AP) -Peyton Manning threw a 1-yard touchdown pass to Dominic Rhodes on fourth-and-goal to give the Indianapolis Colts a 17-10 lead over the San Diego Chargers after three quarters Sunday night.
after Philip Rivers lost a fumble. The Colts had first-and-goal from the 1 but Rhodes was stuffed on three straight runs.
On fourth down, Rhodes burned linebacker Stephen Cooper on a hook route.
The drive was set up when the Colts forced San Diego’s first turnover.
Rivers was scrambling when Robert Mathis came in from behind and batted the ball out of his hand. Raheem Brock scooped it up and returned it to the Colts’ 34.
It was Manning’s second TD pass of the night. He rebounded from a costly interception to throw a 13-yard touchdown pass to Anthony Gonzalez with 38 seconds left before halftime to pull the Colts into a 10-10 tie.
With the home crowd roaring, Gonzalez and Reggie Wayne ran a crossing pattern and Wayne picked rookie Antoine Cason, which allowed Gonzalez to get open to make the catch on third-and-2.
On Indianapolis’ previous possession, Manning was intercepted by Quentin Jammer at the Chargers 11.
The Chargers turned it into a 10-3 lead when Rivers hit Vincent Jackson on a 39-yard touchdown pass to cap the 89-yard, nine-play drive. Jackson made the catch behind two defenders before falling into the end zone. It was just the third TD pass allowed by the Colts this year.
The Colts had gone three games without a turnover and the Chargers had gone four games without a takeaway.
lts were trying to win their fourth straight game, having rebounded from a 3-4 start to put themselves into wild-card contention.
This was the fifth game in as many seasons between the Colts and Bolts. San Diego has won three straight, including a 28-24 upset in last season’s divisional playoffs.
In the last regular-season game between the teams, on Nov. 11, 2007, Manning was intercepted six times – three by Antonio Cromartie – and almost brought the Colts all the way back from a 23-0 first-half deficit. But Adam Vinatieri pushed a 29-yard field-goal attempt wide right with 1:31 left and the Colts lost 23-21.
Vinatieri kicked a 23-yard field goal to give the Colts a 3-0 lead late in the first quarter Sunday night. San Diego’s Nate Kaeding kicked a 35-yarder early in the second.
The desperate Chargers caught a major break earlier in the day when AFC West leader Denver was upset by Oakland, 31-10. Had the Broncos won, they would have been 2 1/2 games ahead of San Diego.
San Diego came in having lost three of four.
LaDainian Tomlinson passed John Riggins for 14th place on the career rushing list. A 6-yard run in the second quarter gave Tomlinson 11,358 yards.
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