Chargers report card

By: MIKE SULLIVAN - Staff Writer | Sunday, January 13, 2008 10:08 PM PST ∞

Quarterbacks: A
Philip Rivers was in the midst of an outstanding game when he injured his right knee on the final play of the third quarter. Rivers threw for 264 yards and three touchdowns to go with one interception. He had an outstanding third quarter (6-of-8, 143 yards, two TDs) for the second straight week. Backup Billy Volek completed 3-of-4 passes for 48 yards and rushed for the winning score.

Running backs: B
LaDainian Tomlinson (28 yards on seven carries) injures his left knee and A.J. Smith's insurance policy tender of Michael Turner comes in handy. Turner rushed for 71 yards on 17 carries in barely more than a half of action. Darren Sproles contributes by turning a short pass into a 56-yard scoring play.

Receivers: A-minus
Reggie Jackson was Mr. October; now Vincent Jackson is becoming Mr. January after disappearing in October. Jackson's second straight postseason home-run effort was good for 93 yards and a touchdown on seven receptions. Chris Chambers caught three passes for 67 yards, including a 30-yard scoring pass. Antonio Gates (dislocated toe) catches two passes on a day in which a mere mortal doesn't even attempt to play.

Offensive line: B
The Colts never recorded a sack as the line put forth a solid effort. C Nick Hardwick and LG Kris Dielman looked particularly stout. RG Mike Goff recovered a Tomlinson fumble to help save a touchdown drive. That alone atoned for his two false starts on the drive.

Defensive line: B
The Colts couldn't run (44 yards on 18 carries) as DE Igor Olshansky and DT Jamal Williams both had good days in the trenches. DE Luis Castillo played through rib pain. Colts QB Peyton Manning was never sacked.

Linebackers: B
Stephen Cooper seemed to be all over the field and was credited with 16 tackles. Shaun Phillips made a terrific deflection of a Manning pass on a late goal-line stand. Shawne Merriman had a sack taken away on a statistical decision but his "Lights Out" dance still stands.

Secondary: B-minus
Lots of passes were hurled their way as the unit made the Colts work to move the ball downfield. CB Antonio Cromartie forced a fumble and intercepted a pass with his impressive runback negated by a penalty. S Eric Weddle made a key interception to snuff out a Colts drive. FS Marlon McCree had a well-timed hit on Reggie Wayne that forced the Colts to use a timeout and run their final play (an incomplete pass) without their top target on the field.

Special Teams: B
Good thing that 66-yard booming punt by Mike Scifres didn't nick the roof. It would've quickly deflated the dome. Scifres averaged 59.0 yards on three punts. Nate Kaeding and the postseason are not a good match ---- Kaeding's miss from 48 yards makes him 2-of-6 lifetime in the postseason. Darren Sproles (24.8 average on four returns) didn't return any kickoffs or punts for touchdowns this time. Legedu Naanee had three special-teams tackles.

Coaching: A
No Rivers and no Tomlinson in crunch time, and a limping Gates equates, to no problem for Coach Norv Turner. That was tremendous second-half play-calling without the NFL's top back. Defensive coordinator Ted Cottrell's unit was dinged for 402 passing yards but made the key plays when needed in the final quarter.