Chargers Say No Way Elway : AFC: Interception by Blaylock with 3:10 left ruins comeback hopes and Broncos lose, 24-21.
The San Diego Chargers, of all teams, stood up and said no way to John Elway.
Stan Humphries passed for a personal-best 349 yards and two touchdowns and scored one himself, Gill Byrd intercepted two Elway passes and Tony Blaylock made a game-saving interception as the Chargers beat the Denver Broncos, 24-21, Sunday.
Byrd, whose nine interceptions of Elway passes are the the most by any player, set up a touchdown and field goal with his thefts. Blaylock intercepted an Elway pass in the end zone with 3:10 to play.
“I was just fortunate today,” said Byrd, who came into the NFL with Elway in 1983 after facing him four times while at San Jose State. “It was just a good win for us. A lot of boys grew up today and became men. We really needed this win in this organization.”
Humphries completed 20 of 27 passes and eclipsed his previous high of 257 yards against the Phoenix Cardinals in 1990 when he was with the Washington Redskins.
Anthony Miller and Derrick Walker, each of whom caught a touchdown pass, gave the Chargers their first 100-yard receiving tandem in a game since 1985. Miller caught six passes for 129 yards and Walker four for 104.
Humphries said he had been battling flu since mid-week, and that he took intravenous fluids before the game.
“You just go out there and play on emotions and let it go,” said Humphries, who added that he didn’t realize he had set a personal passing best.
San Diego (3-4) won its third consecutive game and ended a four-game losing streak to the Broncos (5-3).
The victory atoned for the second game of the season, when the Chargers outgained the Broncos but lost, 21-13, in Denver. Byrd intercepted an Elway pass to set up San Diego’s only touchdown in that game.
That was the only one of Denver’s four home games this year in which Elway didn’t need to engineer a fourth-quarter, game-saving drive.
Sunday, it looked like Elway might do it on the road. He threw a 28-yard scoring pass to Mark Jackson to pull the Broncos to 24-21 with 5:03 to play.
Then San Diego’s Eric Bieniemy fumbled with 3:18 to play on the Chargers’ 34. But Blaylock saved it one play later by stepping in front of a pass intended for Jackson.
Elway said he felt the Broncos were in good shape after Bieniemy’s fumble.
“Actually, when we were down 21-7, I said that,” Elway said. “Our defense gave us a chance. We weren’t able to get it done.”
Elway said Byrd “seems to be in the right place at the right time with me. He’s intelligent. When he gets a chance to make an interception, he never drops them.”
Elway completed 21 of 39 passes for 260 yards and two touchdowns, with three interceptions.
This game wasn’t the prettiest for Humphries, who had one pass intercepted once, fumbled twice and botched a handoff that led to a fumble by Marion Butts.
Humphries fumbled on first and goal from the Denver two, but picked up the ball and bulled in for a 14-7 lead 7:19 into the third quarter. He set up the score with consecutive passes of 22 yards to Miller and 59 to Walker.
Two plays into the ensuing Denver drive, Byrd leaped to catch Elway’s pass intended for Shannon Sharpe and returned it 14 yards to the Denver 32.
Humphries lost 13 yards on an intentional grounding call but came back to connect with Ronnie Harmon for 18 yards before finding Walker wide open over the middle for a 27-yard touchdown with 5:42 to play in the quarter.
Elway came back and led an 80-yard drive that he capped with a five-yard quarterback draw 1:13 into the fourth quarter.
With Denver bottled up deep in its territory midway through the fourth quarter, an Elway pass bounced off Charger safety Darren Carrington and into Byrd’s hands for a 10-yard return. That set up John Carney’s 37-yard field goal for a 24-14 lead.
“I made some poor calls, particularly on the one interception that set up the field goal at the end,” Denver Coach Dan Reeves said. “We went to that play once too often and they did a good job adjusting to it. I wish I would have had that one back.”
Humphries did his best Elway imitation to give the Chargers a 7-0 lead with 2:21 left in the first quarter, scrambling before connecting with Miller for a 38-yard touchdown pass that burned cornerback Wymon Henderson.
San Diego had two straight turnovers, Butts’ fumble and Henderson’s end zone interception of a pass intended for Miller.
After Henderson’s interception, Elway moved the Broncos 80 yards in eight plays and 3:29 for the tying touchdown, a 32-yard pass to Mark Jackson. Elway completed five of five passes for 83 yards on the drive.
Carney was wide left on a 52-yard field-goal attempt as time expired.
A fracas broke out early in the fourth quarter after Denver defensive lineman Brian Sochia took a swing at Charger tackle Broderick Thompson. There were no penalties even though referee Jerry Markbreit was knocked to the ground.
