SAN DIEGO (AP) The Baltimore Ravens' trip turned out to be a
pretty good one, after all.
Chased out of Baltimore two days early by Hurricane Isabel, the
Ravens responded by beating the punchless San Diego Chargers 24-10
on Sunday, as Jamal Lewis rushed for 132 yards and one score.
With Hurricane Isabel taking aim at the East Coast, the Ravens
flew to San Diego two days earlier than planned.
``You can't imagine how big of a win that was,'' said coach
Brian Billick, who figured he would have been criticized for the
move had the Ravens lost. ``That was the smart thing to do. There
was no other way to handle it.''
With the exception of cornerback Chris McAlister being suspended
and sent home for reportedly breaking curfew, the Ravens treated
their extended stay in sunny San Diego as a business trip.
Lewis had a good game a week after setting the NFL single-game
record with 295 yards on 30 carries.
He also fumbled at midfield late in the first quarter, but the
ball bounced a few yards ahead and fullback Alan Ricard picked it
up and ran 50 yards for a touchdown.
Lewis needed 182 yards to break O.J. Simpson's two-game record
of 476 yards set in 1976.
Lewis irked LaDainian Tomlinson during the week by saying
Baltimore linebacker Ray Lewis was going to dominate the Chargers'
star running back.
Tomlinson, the NFL's second-leading rusher last year with 1,683
yards, had a season-high 105 yards on 23 carries and scored his
first TD in three games. He also had eight catches for 51 yards.
Afterward, Jamal Lewis took aim at San Diego's defense.
``I think as we kept going and kept hitting them, it was
knocking it out of them,'' Lewis said.
He scored on a 7-yard run late in the third quarter to make it
24-3.
They were done,'' Lewis said of the Chargers. ``They stopped
getting penetration, stopped coming off the ball. It showed they
are not a good second-half team.''
The Ravens (2-1) won their second straight. San Diego (0-3) has
been outscored 88-37 this season. Including the second-half
collapse last year, the Chargers have lost seven straight and 10 of
12.
The game was mostly a tedious defensive struggle until the
Ravens scored twice in the third quarter to put it away.
Rookie quarterback Kyle Boller struggled some, but tight end
Todd Heap helped bail him out by reaching over cornerback Quentin
Jammer to pull in a 25-yard touchdown pass with 3 minutes left in
the quarter.
After Terrell Suggs intercepted Drew Brees' pass deep in
Chargers territory, Lewis scored for the 24-3 lead.
Tomlinson scored on a 2-yard run midway through the fourth
quarter to pull the Chargers to 24-10.
Boller threw for just 41 yards in the first half and 98 overall,
completing 12 of 21 passes, with one touchdown and one
interception. Brees was 28-of-45 for 270 yards, with no touchdowns
and three interceptions.
With the Chargers trying to cut into a 14-point deficit with
more than four minutes left, Brees' pass was picked off at the
Ravens 3 by Ed Reed. Gary Baxter had a pickoff in the end zone on a
tipped pass with 53 seconds to play.
San Diego continued to struggle inside the opponents' 20. The
Chargers moved from their 22 to the Ravens 11 on their opening
drive, but Brees ran a QB draw on third-and-goal, gained only 5
yards and they had to settle for Steve Christie's 24-yard field
goal to cap a drive that took 15 plays and 8 minutes, 36 seconds.
``I have no answers,'' Tomlinson said. ``Obviously something is
going on. I don't know.''
It was San Diego's first lead in three games, and it didn't last
long.
Four plays into the next drive, Lewis took a pitch, gained 3
yards and fumbled as he went down. The ball bounced to Ricard, who
beat the Chargers' defense for his first TD of the year.<
^Notes:@ Chargers WR David Boston was back after missing last week's
game with a bruised heel. He caught six passes for 91 yards, but
refused to speak with reporters afterward.
(Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)