Chargers snap back as Tomlinson dominates

Whatever Marty Schottenheimer said at halftime was all it took to snap LaDainian Tomlinson and the rest of the San Diego Chargers out of their funk.

After all, trailing the lowly Cleveland Browns isn’t the ideal place for a team that would like to think it ranks among the NFL’s elite.

Tomlinson had another monster game, scoring three touchdowns late in the second half and finishing with 172 yards in 18 carries to lift the Chargers to a sloppy 32-25 win Sunday.

The Chargers also got a big effort from several defensive backups who were filling in for players missing because of injuries and, in outside linebacker Shawne Merriman’s case, a four-game suspension for a positive drug test.

Tomlinson had a whopping 9.6 yards per carry, gaining 47 yards in his first nine carries and 125 in his last nine.

Tomlinson had consecutive 100-yard rushing games for the first time this season. Last week, he ran for 183 yards, had 57 yards receiving and scored three times in a win against St. Louis. He has three 100-yard rushing games this season, plus 14 touchdowns.

With Cleveland’s offense sputtering against a defense missing its two best pass rushers, Phil Dawson kicked a club-record six field goals -- from 37, 20, 42, 30, 36 and 35 yards.

The Chargers (6-2) were trailing, 12-10, when Tomlinson broke a 41-yard touchdown run with 1:08 left in the third quarter. The Chargers had great field position after pinning the Browns (2-6) on their two and forcing them to punt.

“Give me a little hole I can squeeze through into the secondary,” said Tomlinson, who scored on runs of seven and eight yards in the fourth quarter. “Once I get into the secondary, things could get very interesting.”

Browns Coach Romeo Crennel said the Chargers kept freezing their inside linebackers.

“I thought they wore us down,” he said.

Tomlinson’s big day helped offset the Chargers’ 12 penalties for 113 yards.

Until Tomlinson’s first touchdown, the Chargers hadn’t scored on offense since Nate Kaeding kicked a 29-yard field goal on the game’s opening drive.

“I knew we were far better than that,” Schottenheimer said.

Browns tight end Kellen Winslow was booed every time his name was announced at the stadium where his Hall of Fame father of the same name starred for the Chargers from 1979-87, and some fans cheered when he got hurt late in the game. He returned a few plays later.

Winslow had 78 yards on a career-high 11 catches, which tied for second highest in franchise history.