Rookie Runner Saves Day

Even without their starting quarterback and their best defensive player, the San Diego Chargers were too much for the Denver Broncos.

Rookie running back Jermaine Fazande ran for 183 yards and a touchdown, and the Chargers beat the Broncos, 12-6, Sunday.

Quarterback Jim Harbaugh, who helped the Chargers build a 12-0 lead, left early in the third quarter because of a strained left hip and didn’t return, and linebacker Junior Seau did not suit up because of a strained stomach muscle.

But Fazande, backup quarterback Moses Moreno and a stout defense compensated for the losses, enabling San Diego (8-8) to finish with a non-losing record for the first time since 1996. The Chargers won four of their final five games.

The Broncos (6-10) wound up last in the AFC West, the second time a defending Super Bowl champion fell to last place the following season. The New York Giants finished last in the 1987 strike season after winning the Super Bowl.

San Diego--which entered the game as the worst rushing team in the NFL, averaging 70.1 yards a game--had 194 yards.

“We could have made it more comfortable if we hadn’t fumbled the ball once in a while,” Charger Coach Mike Riley said, “but the guy running the ball was probably the difference in the game.”

Fazande, a rookie from Oklahoma, exceeded his season rushing total (182) coming into the game.

“They’ve probably never heard of me,” said Fazande, whose best previous effort was 50 yards against Chicago in Week 10.

The Chargers also held the ninth-best offense in the NFL to 235 yards, including only 44 on the ground. Denver’s Olandis Gary, who rushed for 183 and 185 yards in the previous two games, managed only 38, but still set a team rookie rushing record.