Tomlinson Leaves Lions Grasping at Air

LaDainian Tomlinson slipped past a linebacker, caught a pass and sprinted untouched for a 73-yard touchdown.

Unlike other NFL players, he didn’t wait for the play to end to watch his larger-than-life image on the scoreboard.

“Once I hit that seam, I was looking up at the Jumbotron and I figured it was over,” Tomlinson said. “I was looking up to see how close they were, and they weren’t close enough for me to look back.”

It wasn’t the only time the Detroit Lions failed to corral Tomlinson.

Tomlinson caught nine passes for 148 yards, a season-high for running backs, and had two touchdown receptions to build a lead the Chargers held on to in a 14-7 victory over Detroit on Sunday.

“He may have the best pure hands on the team,” quarterback Doug Flutie said. “He is a weapon.”

Tomlinson’s 73- and 16-yard scores in the first half gave San Diego a 14-0 lead it maintained through three-plus quarters. But the Chargers had to knock down Joey Harrington’s heave with three seconds left to ensure a rare win.

San Diego (3-10) had lost three games in a row, and 17 of 21. The Lions (4-9) had won three in a row at home, and were a victory away from tying their combined wins from the last two seasons.

Tomlinson also had 88 yards rushing in 25 carries. He surpassed 200 yards of offense for the fourth time this year with a season-high 236 yards.

“You’ve got to score some points, and we didn’t do that,” Detroit defensive end Robert Porcher said. “When you only give up 14 points in this league, you should win the game. It’s almost impossible to ask a defense to hold an NFL team to six or seven points.”