Story: Key Stat 4 - Number of LaDainian Tomlinson touchdowns

Turning point

The 49ers were within two scores with about three minutes left in the first half when Alex Smith's pass was tipped by Shaun Phillips and landed in Luis Castillo's hands. The Chargers cashed it for a Tomlinson touchdown and a 35-19 halftime lead.

Next game

10 a.m., Sunday vs. the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium

Quotable

"I don't put too much thought into it right now. The must important thing to me is the win, and that is what it is all about. It's all about winning." -- QB Philip Rivers, on focusing on the final score instead of his splashy statistics

Who's hot

Philip Rivers

He fills the air for a career-high 334 passing yards and two scores.

Who's not

49ers defense

Had as much chance as the obligatory hot dog wrapper against the S.F. wind.

Injury report

+ RT Shane Olivea (knee)

+ LT Marcus McNeill (hand)

McNeill is ailing

McNeill will have his right hand, which he broke in the Steelers' game, looked at closely today, and he's hoping to avoid another surgery. He broke his left hand during the summer and had to undergo an operation.

While McNeill sounded hopeful about it not being seriously hurt, his body language said otherwise.

"We're trying to figure out how bad it is," said McNeill, a rookie who has stepped in nicely for injured veteran Roman Oben. "Hopefully we won't have to have surgery, but I might have aggravated it."

Oben (foot) is scheduled to come off the physically unable to perform list and start practicing this week.

Clock ticks for Edwards

With Tuesday's trading deadline looming, ILB Donnie Edwards remains on the block. But there has been little chatter about teams being interested in the Chargers' leading tackler.

Edwards declined to discuss his status.

San Diego North

Toward the end of the game the crowd noise sounded more like a game at Qualcomm Stadium than Monster Park. Thousands of Chargers fans were in full voice, reveling in a road trip that produced such a big win.

At one point, RB LaDainian Tomlinson autographed his two gloves and distributed them to some Bolts backers.

"I just wanted to show my appreciation for them coming out and really supporting us," Tomlinson said. "It's not easy going to another team's stadium and cheering like that, because their fans get mad."

But with a healthy lead through most the games, the 49ers didn't have many comeback lines.

"I'm sure at the start of the game they get heckled," Tomlinson added.

Olivea feels OK

In the wake of a big scare, Olivea seemed guardedly optimistic about the status of his sprained right knee.

He was moving well as he walked around the locker room after the game -- something few would have guessed after teammate Nick Hardwick and the 49ers' Marques Douglas landed on the third-year player's leg in the second quarter.

"We'll meet the doctors and get some tests done, but everything preliminary seems to be OK," Olivea said. "It's starting to loosen up a little bit. Hopefully, I'll come back and be fine next week."

Olivea said he would have tried to re-enter the game after the half if the score had been closer. Backup Cory Lekkerkerker played well in his stead.

Young gun

Until the Chargers defense clamped down in the second half, second-year 49ers starter Alex Smith made them sweat.

Smith finished 20-of-31 for 214 yards and pair of touchdowns.

Both touchdown passes came in the first half, including a 15-yard strike that Smith rifled through the tight coverage of CB Quentin Jammer and into the hands of Bryan Gilmore.

"This young man Alex Smith is great," said Chargers head coach Marty Schottenhimer. "It's one thing to watch him on tape and it's another to watch him live, he was very impressive."

Sack happy

The Chargers tallied five sacks against the 49ers, giving them 21 for the season -- it's the most sacks through five games in Chargers history.

Linebacker Shaun Phillips led the way Sunday with two.

"We like to think we're the best front in the league," Phillips said. "We have the best pass rushers in the league and we go at every team.

"Whether we get zero sacks or 10, we're going to go after the quarterback, and that's the bottom line."

Quick hits

The 54 combined halftime points by the teams tied the most in a Chargers game. The Chargers and Steelers scored that many in the Chargers' 54-44 win in 1985. … Receivers coach James Lofton had a nifty catch of an errant pass along the Chargers sidelines. Lofton's Hall of Fame career total, though, remains at 764. … Rookie backup Charlie Whitehurst took a knee to end the game. QB Billy Volek remains the No. 3 quarterback.