Gordon, defense lead Chargers over Mariota, Titans, 43-35
SAN DIEGO (AP) -- Melvin Gordon ran and ran and ran some more for the San Diego Chargers, not stopping until he'd gotten a career-high 196 yards.
His 1-yard touchdown run in the third quarter was the go-ahead score in the San Diego Charges' 43-35 victory Sunday against Marcus Mariota and the Tennessee Titans, who still haven't won in San Diego since 1990.
Although the defense came up big as well, scoring twice on turnovers by Mariota, the Chargers raved about the performance by their second-year back.
"We all know he's our bell cow back there," coach Mike McCoy said. "We're going to give him the ball and let him roll."
Gordon's performance even excited the defensive backs.
"We love it because we know, being a defender, on the opposite end of that, it wears you down," said cornerback Brandon Flowers, who had a 33-yard interception return for a touchdown. "We know it's wearing the defense down the way he's running and pounding the ball. That's why we try to get three-and-outs so often because we're feeding our horse right now.
"Melvin Gordon is playing outstanding football right now. We've just go to keep feeding our horse."
A week ago in Denver, the Chargers had a first-and-goal at the 2 and Gordon's number wasn't called once. Philip Rivers threw four straight incomplete passes and the Chargers lost 27-19.
Gordon leads the NFL with 11 touchdowns, nine rushing. He has three 100-yard games, including two straight.
During a frustrating rookie year, he failed to score a touchdown and had no 100-yard games.
"We're just working hard," he said. "That's been our goals since OTAs, training camp to now, and that is just to finish. Finish, finish, finish the game."
The Chargers (4-5) won two days before the team will ask voters to approve a billion-dollar subsidy for a new downtown stadium to replace aging Qualcomm Stadium.
Gordon scored on a 1-yard run with 5:28 left in the third quarter to give the Chargers a 26-21 lead. He broke a 47-yard run in the closing minutes. He also caught four passes for 65 yards.
Mariota threw for 313 yards and three TDs for the Titans (4-5).
Mariota, who led the Titans to a 21-19 lead by guiding two quick scoring drives on either side of halftime, helped the Chargers surge to a 12-point lead when he fumbled late in the third quarter. Dwight Lowery picked up the ball ran 43 yards for a touchdown and a 33-21 lead.
"They made a couple of great plays," Mariota said. "Obviously, I can't fumble and that's going to put us in bad situations."
With the Chargers up by eight -- and with a propensity to blow late leads this year -- Flowers jumped a route, intercepted Mariota and returned it 33 yards for a 43-28 lead with 4:51 left.
Running the two-minute drill to perfection, Mariota threw a 7-yard scoring pass to Rishard Matthews with 14 seconds left before halftime. The Titans got the second-half kick and Mariota quickly moved them down the field, finishing the drive with a 14-yard run on which he held out the ball to touch the pylon.
The Chargers came right back with a drive aided by three crucial penalties by the Titans' defense to get Gordon's go-ahead score.
The Titans (4-5) have lost seven straight in San Diego since 1993, when they were the Houston Oilers. The franchise's last victory in San Diego was in 1990.
Philip Rivers threw a 13-yard TD pass to Antonio Gates in the first quarter and a 6-yarder to Tyrell Williams in the second for a 16-0 Chargers lead.
San Diego held DeMarco Murray to 51 yards on 14 carries. He scored on a 1-yard run late in the game.
REF-RIPPING: Titans coach Mike Mularkey was unhappy about three calls against his defense on the drive capped by Gordon's go-ahead score. "I thought they were really poorly officiated," he said. "That didn't lose the game, but they need to be held accountable like we are."
RIVERS-TO-GATES: Rivers' 13-yard touchdown pass to Gates in the first quarter was the 81st time they've connected, the most in NFL history between a quarterback and a tight end. It was also the 108th career TD catch for Gates, leaving him three shy of matching Tony Gonzalez's NFL record for a tight end.
BALLOT BOWL: The Chargers are asking San Diegans to approve a ballot measure that would provide $1.15 billion via an increase in the hotel occupancy tax to help fund a $1.8 billion stadium and convention center annex downtown . The measure needs a two-thirds supermajority to pass. Polls show it might not get 50 percent. Team chairman Dean Spanos will then have to decide whether to negotiate a new deal with Mayor Kevin Faulconer or move to L.A.
TOUGH WEEKEND: Mariota, who is from Hawaii and played at Oregon, had several family and friends in attendance, many of whom also watched Hawaii lose to San Diego State 55-0 on Saturday night. There were also people in Ducks colors in the crowd. Oregon lost 45-20 to Southern California on Saturday evening at the L.A. Coliseum.
INJURIES: Titans RB Derrick Henry hurt a calf during pregame warmups and didn't play. ... San Diego WR Jeremy Butler hurt an ankle in the first quarter. ... Chargers rookie DE Joey Bosa was down briefly in the second quarter, but walked off under his own power and came back in.
