PRO FOOTBALL : Courage Proves Chargers’ Strong Suit : Pro football: Humphries’ decision to stay in the game, Ross’ fourth-and-one call made all of the difference.

With seven minutes remaining in the fourth quarter Sunday, the San Diego Chargers looked like a beaten team.

After taking a 20-point second-half lead, the Chargers suddenly found themselves trailing the Raiders, 24-23, while their quarterback, Stan Humphries, lay on the Coliseum turf grabbing his left knee in pain.

For the next five minutes, things got worse for San Diego as team doctors told Humphries that he was done for the day and that it was best for him not to take any chances.

But that’s not the Chargers’ style.

“Stan is that type of quarterback who finishes what he starts,” San Diego running back Ronnie Harmon said. “I would have been surprised if he didn’t go back out there. Only if he couldn’t walk would he not have been on the field.”

So when the Chargers huddled for their final drive of the game at their 20-yard line, Humphries hobbled past backup quarterback Gale Gilbert on the sideline to join his teammates.

“He just went,” San Diego Coach Bobby Ross said of Humphries. “He was told not to go back in, but he just went.”

The way Humphries figured it, he had no choice. That’s because his last pass had been intercepted by the Raiders’ Lionel Washington and returned 31 yards for a touchdown.

“There wasn’t anything that was going to keep me out of the game,” said Humphries, who completed 18 of 26 passes for 191 yards with two interceptions. “No one really said anything once I got to the sideline because I tried to be off by myself. I just tried to think about what I had to do and then I went out there.”

Humphries’ toughness is something that has helped make him the offensive leader the Chargers have needed. Instead of panicking under the Raiders’ fourth-quarter rally, San Diego calmly went to work.

“If you noticed, everyone on the sideline and on the field was relaxed,” San Diego running back Eric Bieniemy said. “Regardless of what happens, the team responds to pressure.”

After driving to the Raiders’ 41-yard line with two minutes remaining, Humphries was sacked for a six-yard loss by linebacker Winston Moss.

That’s when Humphries and the Chargers’ go-to man, Harmon, took over. On third and 14, Harmon caught a sideline pass for 13 yards that Humphries thought was enough to set up John Carney for a winning 49-yard field goal attempt.

But that’s not the Chargers’ style, either. So with 1:52 remaining, Ross called for a pass to Harmon on fourth and one.

“I really thought that we were going to kick it then,” Humphries said. “But our coaching staff has a lot of guts. I was surprised to see us go for it but excited at the same time.”

Harmon, who caught six passes for 74 yards, lined up in the left slot and ran a curl route in between the Raiders’ Mike Jones and Derrick Hoskins. Humphries found him for eight yards and a first down.

“I just didn’t want to give them the ball back with so much time,” Ross said. “It was not a case of believing that John Carney couldn’t make it from 49 yards. I just wanted to get closer and run down the clock.”

From there, the Chargers only had to protect the ball and move into position for Carney, who kicked a 33-yard field goal with two seconds remaining.

“It was just one of those things no matter what call you make,” Ross said of the pass to Harmon. “If you make it, you’re great. If you miss, you’re not. All I can say is that this was as gutsy a win as I’ve ever been associated with.”