SAN DIEGO ---- Chargers receiver Vincent Jackson was clearly a focal point of the Philadelphia Eagles' defense.

Philadelphia blanketed him with several players throughout the Chargers' 31-23 victory Sunday at Qualcomm Stadium, holding him to one catch for 10 yards.

But the Chargers have multiple offensive weapons, and the Eagles couldn't stop them all.

"That's the beauty of this offense," Chargers tight end Antonio Gates said. "You never know who's going to step up and have a huge day."

Gates certainly had one, carving up the middle of the field with a team-high seven catches for 78 yards.

He wasn't the only skill player to make an impact. Quarterback Philip Rivers threw the ball to seven different receivers, including touchdown passes to role players Legedu Naanee and Mike Tolbert.

The Chargers' big-play offense was content to use short and intermediate routes to moves the chains, and was consistently effective at doing so.

"They're a pressure team and they do a ton of exotic stuff on defense," Gates said. "We wanted to take advantage of their speed and aggressiveness. We wanted to hit some quick passes to keep them off balance and get the ball out early."

That turned Jackson into a decoy and the offense's focus toward the middle of the field.

"We thought we could get balls thrown inside, to Gates especially," Chargers coach Norv Turner said. "They were very careful and were not going to let us get the ball up the field to Vincent. They doubled him most of the game."

Milestones for L.T.

Chargers running back LaDainian Tomlinson had 96 yards and two touchdowns on 24 carries, reaching two milestones along the way.

He passed Thurman Thomas and Franco Harris on the all-time rushing list and now ranks No. 12 with 12,145 career rushing yards. Edgerrin James is next on the list with 12,246.

Tomlinson also moved into third place on the career touchdowns list, surpassing Marcus Allen with his second TD of the day and the 146th of his career. Emmitt Smith is second with 175.

"It's kind of surreal," Tomlinson said. "I grew up watching these guys, and it's mind-boggling to me to find myself third all-time with just Emmitt Smith and Jerry Rice in front of me. It's a weird thing, but I'm humbled because of the history of the game and after watching those guys for so long."

Linebacker rotation

Kevin Burnett returned to action after missing two games with an ankle injury, but he didn't reclaim his starting spot. Brandon Siler made the second start of his career alongside Stephen Cooper, and gave another strong performance. He had three tackles and his first career sack while playing with the base defense.

Burnett was active primarily on passing downs and in the nickel package, but still led the team with nine tackles, a quarterback hit and a pass deflection deep in the red zone that kept the Eagles from scoring a touchdown.

Naanee's proposal

Chargers receiver Legedu Naanee had an interesting way of celebrating his 20-yard touchdown reception in the third quarter.

Naanee caught the ball in the right corner of the end zone, went over to a Chargers cheerleader, got on one knee and handed her the football. The move was an apparent homage to former Boise State teammate Ian Johnson, who proposed to his girlfriend ---- also a cheerleader ---- after the Broncos defeated Oklahoma in the 2007 Fiesta Bowl.

Naanee received a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, which was assessed on the kickoff.

"There might be a fine coming," Gates said, "so I hope she said yes."

Back in dark blue

The Chargers wore their standard blue home jerseys for the first time this season, an oddity created by several throwback games and a little hot weather.

The Chargers have been wearing uniforms from 1963 in honor of the AFL's 50th anniversary, which has taken away some opportunities to wear blue. The Chargers wore their alternate powder blue jerseys on one occasion and chose to wear white away jerseys at home to avoid the possibility of wearing dark colors on a hot day.

Philadelphia west?

The Eagles felt right at home at Qualcomm Stadium, which was stocked with Philly fans. The upper deck featured five sections full of green jerseys, and there were many more mixed in with Chargers faithful throughout the stadium. There were so many that success by the Eagles was celebrated almost as loudly as productive Chargers plays.

Et cetera

RT Jeromey Clary injured his ankle in the second half and did not return. DL Travis Johnson hurt his leg and didn't come back, either. ... The attendance of 68,789 was the third-largest in team history. ... The Chargers ran three plays out of the "Wild Frog" package, their version of the wildcat. RB LaDainian Tomlinson ran once, handed off another time, and WR Legedu Naanee rushed on the other occasion.

Contact staff writer Scott Bair at 760-739-6642. Go to sportsblogs.nctimes.com for more Chargers news and notes.