Bahr’s Kick Provides Rare Happy Ending : Chargers: 49-yard field goal with four seconds remaining finishes 20-17 upset of Philadelphia Eagles.

For four weeks, the Chargers had been finding more ways to lose than they cared to imagine or admit.

If their streak had been a movie, its name would have been “Crimes and Misdemeanors.”

If their offense had been a horse, its name would have been “Sunday Silence.” And you would have shot it to put it out of its misery.

Then Sunday afternoon at San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium, they discovered a way to victory that was more creative than something by Woody Allen and more exciting than the Triple Crown.

Chris Bahr’s 49-yard field goal with four seconds remaining beat the favored Philadelphia Eagles, 20-17. It was Bahr’s longest of the season and gave the Eagles’ their first defeat after four consecutive victories.

It might never have happened if a John Candy-sized back-up tackle with a Leave-It-To-Beaver personality named James FitzPatrick hadn’t committed a false start on the play before the game-winning kick.

“It’s the first time a penalty’s ever helped us,” Charger Coach Dan Henning said.

“I’ll take a double-negative every time if it gives us a win,” FitzPatrick said.

The explanation:

After the Eagles had capitalized on an Eric Allen interception of a tipped Jim McMahon pass and tied it, 17-17, on Keith Byars’ three-yard run early in the final period, the game appeared headed for overtime.

But with less than a minute to play, McMahon, who finished with 14 completions in 29 attempts for 264 yards and two touchdowns, found rookie wide receiver Wayne Walker streaking up the right sideline past cornerback Izel Jenkins for 49 yards and a first down at the Eagle 27.

Three plays later, Bahr was lining up the 44-yarder that would win the game if it didn’t hook left like the 33-yarder he had missed in the second period.

Alas for the Chargers, he did pull it. Alack for the Eagles, FitzPatrick moved before the snap, creating a dead ball foul and negating the Bahr miss.

“I saw my whole life flash in front of my face,” said FitzPatrick, who knew he had moved. “The first thing that goes through your mind is, ‘Jeez, I hope nobody saw it.’ ”

But even before Bahr got his foot into the ball, flags were littering the air. “I was just trying to stay low,” FitzPatrick said. “But I flinched.”

By then all he could do was watch and hope the kick would miss. “I knew we’d get another chance because of the penalty,” he said. What he couldn’t be sure of was whether Bahr would make the second attempt if the first had been good. When it sailed to the left, FitzPatrick breathed easier.

“God or somebody must have turned that ball,” he said.

Bahr was even more thankful to get another chance. He said the whistles and flags that preceded the missed kick had not distracted him.

“I just pulled across it,” he said. The five yards extra distance, he said, didn’t bother him.

“On the second one, I just told myself to make a good swing,” he said. “Sure I was nervous. Anybody who says they aren’t in that situation is a liar. But I wasn’t scared. And there’s a difference. I just said, ‘Trust your swing and make a good one.’ It’s just a shame this didn’t happen three games ago.”

This was the fifth consecutive week the Chargers (3-6) had a chance to tie or win the game on their last possession.

And maybe it was the best way they could find to divert the unfavorable publicity that had surrounded McMahon all week long after he blew his nose in the face of a reporter Monday afternoon.

McMahon refused to talk to reporters after the Eagle victory. But he now has a 1-900 number, a la Jose Canseco, that costs $1.40 per minute for people who want to call and find out things such as what his favorite golf courses is and what he thinks of former Coach Mike Ditka. (The answers: Medinah No. 3 and not much).

It was a lot cheaper to hear Henning talk for free about how the Chargers kept extra blockers in to contain Eagle defensive end Reggie White and limit Philadelphia (6-3) to two sacks.

Or hear Anthony Miller talk about how Eagle free safety Wes Hopkins bit on the play fake that set up his 69-yard touchdown reception late in the third period. It was the Chargers’ longest play of the year and hiked their lead to 17-7. Their first 10 points had come on a six-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter from McMahon to Miller, who made a spectacular one-handed catch, and a Bahr 23-yarder in the third quarter.

You didn’t need to pick up the phone to hear crusty Philadelphia Coach Buddy Ryan say this about McMahon: “He is the one who has to get the game ball today.” Afterward, Ryan and McMahon, both of whom played major roles for the 1985 Chicago Bear world champions, exchanged words and a handshake at midfield.

Philadelphia scored its first 10 points on a four-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter from Randall Cunningham (19 of 29 for 236 yards) to wide receiver Greg Garrity and a 43-yard fourth period field goal by former Charger Steve DeLine. Garrity, who beat cornerback Gill Byrd, fractured his clavicle on the play and will miss the rest of the season.

Charger defensive end Leslie O’Neal can’t wait for the rest of the season. He sacked Cunningham 3 1/2 times and has 5 1/2 in the past two weeks. He is now tied with Denver’s Simon Fletcher for the conference lead at 9 1/2.

The Charger defense, which hasn’t allowed more than 20 points in any of its past seven games, has 10 sacks the past two weeks. “We finally had some big plays go our way,” O’Neal said.

Actually, the Charger run defense had its worst day of the season. Eagle rookie Robert Drummond led all rushers with 77 yards in 14 carries and also caught five passes for 74 yards. Byars and Cunningham ran for 57 and 44 yards. The 178 yards on the ground was the most against the Chargers this year.

But, said Eagle guard Ron Solt, “This game had upset and letdown written all over it.”

Part of that might have been related to the Eagles’ itinerary. After beating the Broncos in Denver last week, they headquartered in La Jolla and prepared for the Chargers by practicing all week at Torrey Pines High School in Del Mar.

“Maybe they soaked up a little to much sun,” said Charger defensive end Burt Grossman.

Charger Notes

After Sunday’s game, Charger Coach Dan Henning announced he is giving his team Monday and Tuesday off. He said the team will send a game film of the Chargers’ 20-17 victory to the mother of rookie running back Marion Butts. Mrs. Butts is critically ill, and son Marion took two practice days off last week to visit her in Albany, Ga. Against the Eagles, Butts led the Chargers with 72 yards in 16 carries. All but eight of those yards came in the second half. . . . Philadelphia cornerback Eric Allen has intercepted a pass in each of the Eagles’ past five road games. . . . The Chargers committed just five penalties, for 30 yards. Last week in Seattle, they committed 13, for 76. . . . Charger right tackle Brett Miller left the game with a leg contusion in the second period and didn’t return. James FitzPatrick replaced him. . . . Charger place-kicker Chris Bahr said he couldn’t remember how many game-winning kicks he has made in his 14-year NFL career. “It would have to be at least 20,” he said. . . . Charger wide receiver Anthony Miller caught five passes for 129 yards and two touchdowns. It was the third time this year he has gone over the 100-yard mark and the third time in his two-year career he has caught two touchdown passes in a game. . . . The Eagles were four of 12 in third-down conversions, the Chargers seven of 15. . . . Charger defensive end Burt Grossman vomited on the field at one point. Maybe there was something in the air--fights broke out in the stands on several occasions. Grossman said his stomach problem resulted from having the wind knocked out of him. “Then, when I was finally able to suck in some air, I got a mouthful of dirt and grass,” he said. “The rest was history.”