Butts Comes to Life Against Chargers : AFC: He runs for 88 yards and a touchdown against his former team to lead Patriots, 23-17.

Marion Butts shredded his former San Diego teammates, then smiled with some of them as he posed for a post-game photo. It was a day to remember.

In his best game of a disappointing season, Butts ran for a season-high 88 yards and one touchdown in 28 carries as the New England Patriots defeated the Chargers, 23-17, Sunday.

“I was real tight with a lot of guys out there,” said Butts, the second-leading rusher in Charger history. “I was motivated against them. I almost felt too anxious to succeed. I had to tell myself to calm down.”

The Patriots led, 10-0, at halftime and, 23-10, before San Diego scored with 55 seconds left on Stan Humphries’ two-yard pass to Tony Martin.

“In the second half, we went to a gambling defense,” Charger Coach Bobby Ross said. “If you do that, you’ll get burned. We just had huge breakdowns defensively. The game was definitely not as close as 23-17.”

For Butts, it has been a tough transition. The Patriots obtained him in a draft-day trade to add power and consistency to their running attack.

But he averaged only 42 yards in his first 10 games, while Natrone Means, now San Diego’s featured back, averaged 94.7 as the AFC’s leading rusher. Means was held to 59 in 15 carries Sunday and has 1,006 this season.

“It’s been pretty hard (for me) this season,” Butts said. “You have to have inner desire. You have to be strong. A lot of people were down on me.”

Not Sunday.

“I’m sure he feels good. It’s been a long time coming for him,” Patriot Coach Bill Parcells said. “They were tough yards, and that’s a good defensive team. Overall, it was our best game of the year.”

The Chargers (8-3) began the day with the NFL’s third-best run defense, but allowed 101 rushing yards, 18 more than their average. They are 2-3 since winning their first six games.

The Patriots (5-6) won their second consecutive game, ending a four-game stretch against division leaders, and moved within two games of AFC East leader Miami.

They defeated Minnesota, 26-20, last Sunday after trailing, 20-0. Bledsoe, who set NFL records of 45 completions and 70 attempts in that game, was 21 of 36 for 224 yards and one touchdown Sunday.

“People may have looked at last week’s game and said, ‘Oh, that’s a fluke, they’ll go back to the old form,’ ” Patriot linebacker Vincent Brown said. “For us to go out and play the way we did was a big plus.”

The Patriots, who had the NFL’s worst pass defense, bothered Humphries all day, causing him to throw three interceptions. He was sacked five times.

“We haven’t been beat this physically,” San Diego offensive tackle Harry Swayne said. “We usually are the type of team that pushes, beats and mashes people. What I’m worried about is now we have five games left and it’s time to make a playoff push.”

Andre Coleman’s 80-yard kickoff return had cut the Patriots’ lead to 13-10 with 24 seconds to play in the third quarter.

Butts then led the Patriots on a 64-yard march that ended with his one-yard run, his first touchdown in seven games.