SAN DIEGO -- Antonio Gates recognized something familiar, and the friendly spectacle made for a fun Sunday of reminiscing.

"This is the offense we used to know," Gates said.

Accompanying the improved offensive play was an outcome the Chargers got to know well last season -- a well-earned, convincing victory. The Chargers clicked on all cylinders Sunday while blasting the Baltimore Ravens 32-14 before 63,337 at Qualcomm Stadium.

Quarterback Philip Rivers performed as well as he has all season, Gates caught two touchdown passes and had 105 yards receiving, linebacker Shawne Merriman played like a man possessed, and Nate Kaeding kicked four field goals.

"We understand what it takes, and now we just have got to do it," said Rivers, who threw three touchdown passes and didn't commit a turnover. "Our offense and defense were in sync. They'd get us (the ball) back on the short field, and we'd score. We were in sync."

The Chargers (6-5) are also back on top of the AFC West after Denver blew a 14-point, fourth-quarter lead in a loss to Chicago. They control their fate, holding a one-game lead with five games left in the season.

"We definitely want to put a run together," defensive end Igor Olshansky said. "This has been an up-and-down, roller-coaster season for us. This is going to be the biggest month. December is the biggest month for us, playing three division games, and this is where our history is going to be written right here."

Speaking of history, running back LaDainian Tomlinson made some more of it by becoming the 23rd NFL player to surpass 10,000 career rushing yards. Tomlinson reached the milestone on an impressive 36-yard third-quarter run, easily his best moment of a game in which he gained 77 yards on 24 carries.

"We knew it was going to be tough, but we stayed with it, and I think that's why some of our pass plays opened," Tomlinson said.

Baltimore's concern with containing Tomlinson was a key element in the Chargers' first touchdown, a 35-yard pass to a wide-open Gates that gave the Chargers a 9-7 lead with 7 minutes, 16 seconds to go in the first half.

At that point, Tomlinson had a measly 3 yards on eight carries as the Ravens stacked the line of scrimmage. From then on, the Chargers, who scored 22 second-quarter points, never trailed as Rivers (25-of-35 for 249 yards) regularly exposed a Baltimore secondary that was missing Pro Bowl cornerback Chris McAlister.

The Chargers eventually scored 26 unanswered points, including a 5-yard scoring pass to Chris Chambers, a 25-yard touchdown to Gates and two Kaeding field goals to make it 29-7 with 11:30 left in the third quarter.

The splurge placed the Ravens (4-7) in the uncomfortable position of coming back from a large deficit, something an offense that revolves around Willis McGahee runs and short passes isn't built to do. An intense defensive effort limited Baltimore to 210 total yards and sacked Kyle Boller four times. McGahee, the NFL's third-leading rusher, had just 59 yards and was outgained by an opposing back for the first time all season.

But most pleasing to the Chargers was the way they played the game. Just one week earlier, Merriman had blistered his teammates after a loss to Jacksonville, alleging that not every player had a hate-to-lose attitude. It's safe to say he had no such thoughts after this game.

"I think I sensed it early on in the game," Merriman said of his teammates possessing a no-lose attitude. "When this team sets their minds and has a mind-set that we're not going to lose and not only are we going to win, we're going to punish a team, it's scary because you get it on both sides of the ball.

"We have some guys in this locker room that smelled it early and went after it and really played hard."

It took the fans a while to sense that the Chargers were going to roll over the Ravens. The boo-birds were out after the team's second offensive play. Tomlinson gained 1 yard on the first play and was stuffed for no gain on the second.

"I'd like to say I don't hear it, but I don't like to lie," Chargers coach Norv Turner said. "I just think it's unfortunate because I just don't think people understand. That team is second in the league in rush defense, and certainly there are some things we wanted to do early to feel them out.

"It's a long game. I don't think any game has ever been won on the first play of the game, and certainly never been won on the second play of the game."

After the 122nd play from scrimmage, the Chargers were celebrating a resounding victory and looked more like the team predicted to run away with the AFC West than the one that has been maddeningly inconsistent this season.

"It's not a given that you're going to be successful," Gates said. "You have to work hard on every play, every down. Nothing is guaranteed in this league. That is something we had to learn the hard way."

Contact staff writer Mike Sullivan at (760) 739-6645 or msullivan@nctimes.com.