Manning, Broncos rally past Bolts

Manning completed 24-of-30 passes for 309 yards and an interception for Denver
(3-3), which won for the second time in three games and is now tied with San
Diego for the top spot in the AFC West heading into its bye week.

Tony Carter and Chris Harris each scored a defensive touchdown, while Eric
Decker caught six balls for 98 yards and a score in the victory.

Philip Rivers went 25-for-41 trough the air for 242 yards and two touchdowns
with four interceptions and two fumbles for the Chargers (3-3), who dropped
their second straight game and are also on a bye next week.

Antonio Gates finished with six receptions for 81 yards and two touchdowns,
while Ryan Mathews carried the ball 22 times for 74 yards and added four
catches for 19 yards in defeat.

The Broncos received the ball to start the third quarter trailing, 24-0, and
were able to get on the board with an 8-play, 85-yard drive that did not
include a third down and was finished off with Demaryius Thomas' 29-yard
touchdown catch.

After San Diego nearly turned the ball over on the ensuing possession when
Randy McMichael fumbled on a short reception that was recovered by teammate
Ronnie Brown at the Chargers' 35-yard line, Elvis Dumervil knocked the ball
out of Rivers' hand during a sack three plays later and Carter returned it 65
yards for a score, bringing Denver within 24-14 with 4:41 left in the third.

The Broncos regained the ball at their own 45-yard line following a Chargers
punt and Manning found Jacob Tamme for a 25-yard gain on a 3rd-and-16 to move
the ball into San Diego territory before capping the 9-play trek by hitting
Decker with a short pass to the right and the receiver muscled his way across
the goal line for a 7-yard touchdown to make it a three-point contest with
13:33 remaining in the game.

Carter then made a leaping interception of a Rivers pass on San Diego's next
touch and returned it 15 yards to give the ball back to Denver at midfield.

Manning took advantage of the favorable field position with a 21-yard
touchdown pass to Brandon Stokley on the right side of the end zone to go on
top, 28-24.

The Chargers moved the ball to the Denver 41-yard line on their ensuing
possession looking to regain the lead, but Rivers threw his third interception
of the game as Harris made a diving grab of a pass over the middle to end the
threat.

San Diego regained possession after forcing a Denver punt and advanced to its
own 45-yard line, but Harris recorded his second straight interception by
stepping in front of Eddie Royal and racing 46 yards down the right sideline
for a score.

Rivers then had the ball slapped out of his hands by Dumervil on a 4th-and-16
at the San Diego 41-yard line with less than a minute left in the game and
Denver was able to run out the remainder of the clock.

San Diego struck first after Denver's Trindon Holliday muffed a punt and Dante
Rosario recovered the loose ball at the Broncos' 17-yard line.

The Chargers would not record a first down, though, and were forced to settle
for Nick Novak's 32-yard field goal with 8:59 left in the first quarter.

Omar Bolden then had the ensuing kickoff punched out of his hands by Darrell
Stuckey and the Chargers took over at the Denver 19-yard line, resulting in
Gates' 15-yard touchdown reception two plays later.

The Broncos seemed poised to cut into their deficit thanks to a turnover in
the second quarter when Jim Leonard intercepted a Rivers pass and a 55-yard
reception by Decker moved the ball to the San Diego 26-yard line.

But two plays later, Quentin Jammer intercepted a Manning pass and returned it
80 yards for a touchdown, making it a 17-0 game with 6:00 left in the half.

San Diego added to its lead following a Denver punt when a defensive holding
penalty on a 3rd-and-4 kept a drive alive before Rivers capped the 10-play,
66-yard march with an 11-yard strike over the middle to Gates to take a 24-0
lead into the break.

Game Notes

Jammer and Carter each recorded their first career touchdown … Denver leads
the all-time series between the teams, 56-48-1 … Decker scored a touchdown
for the third straight game … Gates' 81 receiving yards gave him 8,007 for
his career, surpassing Hall of Famer Ozzie Newsome for the fourth most
receiving yards by a tight end … Broncos running back Willis McGahee had 56
yards on 17 carries and four catches for 42 yards in the game.