Chargers’ Win Is Theirs for Taking

San Diego’s defense was the difference again--this time with turnovers and a goal-line stand.

Marcellus Wiley returned an interception 40 yards to set up a touchdown and Donnie Edwards returned another 20 yards for a score as the Chargers (3-0) held off the Arizona Cardinals, 23-15, Sunday.

The Cardinals became the first team to score a touchdown--two of them, in fact--against San Diego. Jake Plummer connected with MarTay Jenkins for a 65-yard touchdown on Arizona’s third play, then threw 31 yards to Marcel Shipp for a fourth-quarter score.

But the two interceptions, a lost fumble by Thomas Jones and Carlos Polk’s blocked punt for a safety doomed Arizona (2-1). “These kind are the ones that are hard to talk about,” Cardinal Coach Dave McGinnis said, “because we gave them the football game.”

With boos echoing from the sparse crowd in the triple-digit heat, Plummer nearly brought Arizona back, as he has done from a fourth-quarter tie or deficit 16 times.

San Diego Coach Marty Schottenheimer reflected on his decade with Kansas City. “Of all the things we were able to accomplish [at Kansas City], the one we take the greatest pride in is, over a 10-year period, we had plus-90 in giveaways-takeaways. That’s what we stress,” he said.

Down by eight points with under two minutes to go, Arizona had four shots to score from the San Diego nine-yard line, but Leonardo Carson batted down the first pass and the next three fell incomplete.

The Chargers’ Junior Seau had to be helped to the locker room after he was hurt on the last play of that stand. Schottenheimer said it was a mild ankle sprain.

LaDainian Tomlinson scored on runs of four and two yards.

Justin Lucas intercepted Drew Brees’ pass at the Arizona 38 with 4:59 to play. Plummer scrambled twice for 17 yards, and threw nine yards to ex-Charger Freddie Jones, then Thomas Jones ran 26 yards to the San Diego nine. But Plummer followed with four incomplete passes.