End of Road for Atlanta’s Losing Streak : Interconference: Falcons beat Chargers to end 19-game skid away from home, 13-10.

The long road finally ended for the Atlanta Falcons, and not far from where it began.

Chris Miller threw a 14-yard touchdown pass to rookie Mike Pritchard and newly acquired Norm Johnson kicked two field goals Sunday in the Falcons’ 13-10 victory over the San Diego Chargers.

It was Atlanta’s first victory in its last 20 road games. The Falcons (1-2) hadn’t won on the road since Nov. 30, 1988, when they beat the Raiders, 12-6, at the Coliseum.

“It’s been a long time coming for a lot of people,” said second-year Coach Jerry Glanville, who absorbed nine of those road losses. “It’s a thrill for the players who’ve been here the longest time.”

Glanville seems to inherit losing streaks, but he also breaks them.

In 1984, his first year as Houston’s defensive coordinator, the Oilers broke their NFL-record 23-game road losing streak.

“Unfortunately in my career, I was in Texas when we broke the other streak,” Glanville said. “So it seems like I’m always where this thing is. I can’t tell you how I feel.”

The Chargers (0-3) had a chance to pull out a victory at the finish when quarterback John Friesz drove them to Atlanta’s 28, but John Carney missed his third field goal attempt of the day, a 47-yarder that was wide left with five seconds left.

Carney was wide right with another 47-yard try on the first play of the fourth quarter.

“The last kick I attempted, I wanted to play it a little further left and I did,” Carney said. “I came across the ball a little too much. I wanted to make sure I got a good thump. It just drifted on me.

“Everything I attempted was makeable,” Carney said.

Atlanta defensive end Tim Green forced and recovered a fumble by San Diego’s Rod Bernstine that led to Johnson’s 36-yard field goal and a 13-7 lead with 3:48 left in the third quarter.

Carney made a 39-yarder with 4:59 left in the game, but couldn’t get the game-winner.

“Last year he only missed two,” Charger Coach Dan Henning said. “And we would expect to set up and kick that field goal and go into overtime with it or possibly kick the first one and be kicking that to win it. . . . but it didn’t happen.”

Miller passed for 198 yards in the run-and-shoot offense, completing 16 of 33 passes. Steve Broussard, who previously gained only four yards in two carries, had 101 yards in 20 carries. Andre Rison caught seven passes for 95 yards.

Deion Sanders returned John Kidd’s first punt 23 yards to San Diego’s 45, and Miller needed only four plays to give Atlanta a 7-0 lead on a 14-yard pass to Pritchard.

The Falcons made it 10-0 on a 28-yard field goal by Johnson, formerly of the Seattle Seahawks, 5:31 into the second quarter.

Anthony Shelton picked off Miller’s pass late in the second quarter and returned it to midfield. Marion Butts ran 44 yards around right end, and following a penalty, Friesz connected with Anthony Miller for a 15-yard touchdown pass to make it 10-7.

Friesz completed 13 of 22 passes for 136 yards.

The Chargers had a chance to get even before halftime, but Carney’s 53-yard field goal attempt fell short.