Final Score: San Diego 34, San Francisco 7

San Diego, CA (Sports Network) – Philip Rivers threw three touchdown passes to Vincent Jackson, and the San Diego Chargers earned their sixth win in seven games with a 34-7 rout of San Francisco on Thursday.

Rivers was 19-of-25 for 273 yards, connecting with Jackson for 112 of them, including a 58-yard touchdown in the first quarter that gave the Chargers (8-6) the lead for good.

San Francisco got its only offense from Brian Westbrook’s three-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter, losing for the third time in five games while picking up just 11 first downs and gaining only 192 yards.

“I can’t say enough about our defense,” said Chargers head coach Norv Turner.

Alex Smith got his second straight start for the 49ers (5-9) after throwing for three touchdowns in Sunday’s 40-21 win over Seattle. But he passed for only 165 yards and an interception in this one.

The 49ers are still above .500 (5-4) since their 0-5 start, but they will remain at least one game behind Seattle and St. Louis for first place in a weak NFC West.

“I felt like we were ready to play, we just did not execute,” said 49ers head coach Mike Singletary. “We gotta coach better and we gotta execute better.”

San Diego, meanwhile, has a chance to tie Kansas City for the AFC West lead if the Chiefs lose in St. Louis on Sunday. Not bad for a team that was just 2-5 on October 24 after losing its third straight game.

“When you got a bunch of guys that love to play, you got a chance (to make the playoffs),” said Rivers. “You got a chance if you’re 2-5, you got a chance if you’re 4-8, you got a chance if you’re 6-6 and all but out.

“Here we sit, with two weeks to go, and we have a chance.”

The home fans at Qualcomm Stadium on Thursday night were able to relax almost from the moment Jackson beat cornerback Nate Clements for a jump ball to give San Diego a 7-0 lead on the first series of the game.

The 6-foot-5 Jackson out-jumped the 6-foot Clements near the right sideline, then bullied his way 10 yards into the end zone on the fourth play from scrimmage in the game.

It was Jackson’s first touchdown since he scored twice in Week 15 last season. But he wasn’t done. He added an 11-yard TD catch in the second quarter and a 21-yarder in the fourth for the first three-touchdown game of his career.

“He’s always been a big-play receiver, but man I have to say this is the best I’ve seen him after the catch,” Rivers said of Jackson. “He seems just to be super comfortable. Not that he wasn’t in the past, but he’s catching the ball and going to score.”

The embattled wideout had five catches while suiting up for his third game since ending a holdout and serving his three-game suspension for violating the league’s substance abuse policy.

“Obviously this team was putting up some big wins when I wasn’t here, but I’m just happy to be here now,” said Jackson. “This team is moving in the right direction and I’m glad to be a part of it.”

Meanwhile, things were pretty ugly for the 49ers.

Their first mistake was taking three points off the scoreboard early in the second quarter after Jeff Reed made a 38-yard field goal. The 49ers accepted a Chargers penalty instead that was called on Antonio Garay for kneeling on the back of a San Francisco lineman in an attempt to block the kick.

Two plays later, Smith appeared to scamper around the left side for a seven- yard touchdown run. But only his body — and not the ball — broke the plane of the goal line when he crashed into the pylon.

On a 4th-and-1 play, Anthony Dixon was stopped behind the line of scrimmage by linebacker Brandon Siler and the 49ers walked away without any points.

On the ensuing San Diego possession, 49ers defensive end Justin Smith was ejected from the game for pushing referee Garth DeFelice out of the way as he argued with a Chargers player.

San Diego then marched 90 yards and got a 25-yard field goal from Nate Kaeding for a 10-0 lead with six minutes remaining in the first half.

The Chargers carried a 17-0 lead into the locker room after Rivers found Jackson wide-open behind a defender for a touchdown in the final two minutes. The 87-yard scoring drive was aided by Kelley Washington’s 36-yard catch and run and a 15-yard unnecessary roughness penalty on the 49ers.

San Francisco return man Ted Ginn Jr. took the second-half kickoff 85 yards up the left sideline for a touchdown that was nullified by a face mask penalty.

The 49ers punted instead, and the Chargers moved 58 yards on the ensuing drive and took a 24-0 lead on Mike Tolbert’s one-yard burst into the end zone.

Tolbert and Ryan Mathews both carried 17 times, with Tolbert picking up 46 yards and Mathews rushing for 56.

San Diego’s next series ended with Jackson’s 21-yard touchdown catch to make it 31-0 five plays into the fourth quarter. Diving at the goal line, Jackson stretched the ball over the pylon and the TD was upheld upon review.

The Chargers then turned Steve Gregory’s 41-yard interception into a 39-yard field goal from Kaeding to make it 34-0, and the 49ers got their only points on Westbrook’s three-yard TD on the ensuing drive.

Westbrook gained just 22 yards on eight carries, while Dixon rushed six times for 33 yards. San Francisco was playing its third game since losing starter Frank Gore to a fractured hip.

Game Notes

San Diego tight end Antonio Gates missed his second straight game with a right foot injury. Wide receiver Malcom Floyd (hamstring) also sat out for the Chargers…Smith was 19-of-29…49ers receiver Josh Morgan had a game-high seven catches for 106 yards…Jackson ended with five catches…The Chargers tied the all-time series at 6-6 with their third straight win…San Diego picked up 24 first downs and gained 374 yards.

SAN DIEGO — There comes a time when it’s not about bad breaks, bad moments, bad calls and bad split-second decisions anymore.

For the 49ers, after Thursday’s 34-7 smashup loss to the Chargers, that time is now. Finally, and resoundingly, this has become only about being a bad team.

A bad team. That’s what the 49ers are in 2010, here at the tail end of Mike Singletary’s reign of errors.

And there is no escape from it. The 49ers are poorly coached, confused, mistake-prone, dazed and losing faith as swiftly as they’re losing games.

You saw it. The 49ers experienced it. They fell to 5-9, guaranteeing a losing season.

But this isn’t even about the record. It’s about who they are, the plays they can’t make, the inch they can’t gain, and the plummet they cannot stop.

“After that game, right now “… you walk away not feeling good,” quarterback Alex Smith said. “But that’s the ups and downs of the NFL. The teams that can handle the ups and downs are the ones that go to the playoffs.”

The 49ers, though, have had far too many downs and not nearly enough ups to qualify them for realistic postseason consideration.

After a performance like this — their worst loss of the season — the playoff chase is meaningless, even if the 49ers remain alive in the dreadful NFC West.

They won’t make the playoffs. This isn’t about what’s mathematically possible. It’s about the ability to put together successful plays “… or

the inability to do so.

This game came down to three plays in the second quarter, with San Diego ahead only 7-0, and three 49ers’ failures:

• A fourth-and-goal from inside the 1-yard line that the 49ers couldn’t convert. Anthony Dixon was caught behind the line of scrimmage by linebacker Brandon Siler, who knifed through the left side of the 49ers’ line.

• Five plays later, Justin Smith unintentionally jostled an official, earning an ejection.
• On the very next play, Chargers quarter Philip Rivers found a wide-open Kory Sperry for a 35-yard gain, setting up San Diego’s next score.

  That was that. The Chargers are good, and took it from there. The 49ers are bad. No chance the 49ers could survive that.

  “We’ve been through a lot as a team,” Singletary said. “When you have the opportunity to step up, I really look for our team, in spite of the setbacks to really take a step forward.

  “Obviously, we did not. We continued to stumble. But now we just have to go back and regroup. It’s a shame we missed the opportunity tonight. Great opportunity. Right there.”

  Singletary’s 49ers are troubled by many things, of course. Almost too many to count at this point.

  The general theme, however, is quite simple: Sloppiness throughout the roster, the coaching staff and the entire franchise.

  The 49ers don’t play clean football. Maybe they can simply overwhelm the terrible teams with their talent — as they did recently against Arizona and Seattle.

  On Thursday, they were sloppy when Nate Clements gave up yet another big play, this time a 58-yard touchdown pass to Vincent Jackson.

  They were sloppy when they tried to protect Smith, allowing the Chargers to collect six sacks and put up continuous pressure.

  And they were sloppy at QB, again, this time with Smith winging passes erratically enough that Singletary admitted he considered switching (back) to Troy Smith in the second half.

  “It wasn’t just Alex,” Singletary said. “If it was just Alex, then it would’ve been easier to try and figure out, let’s make a decision and do this or that. But it wasn’t just him.”

  The 49ers were sloppy on special teams, when Moran Norris’ face mask penalty wiped out Ted Ginn’s potential kickoff return for a touchdown to open the third quarter.

  The 49ers were sloppy when linebacker Ahmad Brooks dropped a surefire interception late in the second quarter, deep in San Diego territory, with the game still only 10-0.

  In other words, the 49ers were sloppy like they’ve been all season, starting in Week 1 against Seattle and going through almost every game of this season.

  This is who they are. Mike Singletary, can you possibly say this team still deserves a chance to make the playoffs?

  “This team has had its highs and lows,” Singletary said. “But if we are fortunate enough to go to the playoffs, I believe that we deserve to go.”

  They will not be so fortunate. They will not make the playoffs. They’re not good enough to win their last two games, because they’re a bad team, playing badly, in a season of near-complete badness.

  Contact Tim Kawakami at tkawakami@mercurynews.com.

SAN DIEGO — There comes a time when it’s not about bad breaks, bad moments, bad calls and bad split-second decisions any more.

For the 49ers, after Thursday’s 34-7 smashup loss to the Chargers, it is now finally and resoundingly just about being a bad team.

A bad team, that’s what they are in 2010, here at the tail end of Mike Singletary’s reign of errors.

And there is no escape from it. Poorly coached, confused, mistake-prone, dazed and losing faith as swiftly as they’re losing games.

You saw it. The 49ers experienced it. They fell to 5-9, guaranteeing a losing season, but it’s not even about the record.

It’s about who they are, the plays they can’t make, the inch they can’t gain, and the plummet they cannot stop.

“After that game, right now “… you walk away not feeling good,” quarterback Alex Smith said.

“But that’s the ups and downs of the NFL. The teams that can handle the ups and downs are the ones that go to the playoffs.”

The 49ers, though, have had far too many downs and not nearly enough ups to qualify them for realistic postseason consideration.

After a performance like this — their worst loss of the season — the playoff chase is meaningless, even if the 49ers remain alive in the dreadful NFC West.

They won’t make the playoffs. It’s not about what’s mathematically possible, it’s about the ability to put together successful plays “… or fail to do so.

In this game, it

came down to three plays in the second quarter, with San Diego ahead only 7-0, and three 49ers failures:

• On fourth-and-goal from inside the 1 the 49ers couldn’t convert when Anthony Dixon was caught behind the line of scrimmage by linebacker Brandon Siler, who knifed through the left side of the 49ers’ line.
• Five plays later, Justin Smith unintentionally jostled an official, earning an ejection.
• And, on the very next play, Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers hit a wide-open Kory Sperry with a 35-yard pass to set up San Diego’s next score, as the momentum turned for good.

  That was that. The Chargers are good, and took it from there. The 49ers are bad. And there was no chance the 49ers could survive that.

  “We’ve been through a lot as a team,” Singletary said. “When you have the opportunity to step up, I really look for our team, in spite of the setbacks to really take a step forward.

  “Obviously, we did not. We continued to stumble. But now we just have to go back and regroup. It’s a shame we missed the opportunity tonight. Great opportunity. Right there.”

  There are many troubling things about the Singletary 49ers, of course. Almost too many to count at this point.

  The general theme, however, is quite simple: Sloppiness throughout the roster, the coaching staff and the entire franchise.

  The 49ers don’t play clean football. Maybe they can simply overwhelm the terrible teams with their talent — as they did recently against Arizona and Seattle.

  On Thursday, they were sloppy when Nate Clements gave up yet another big play, this time on a 58-yard touchdown pass to Vincent Jackson.

  The 49ers were sloppy when they tried to protect Alex Smith, allowing the Chargers to collect six sacks and put up continuous pressure.

  The 49ers were sloppy at quarterback, again, this time with Alex Smith winging passes erratically enough that Singletary conceded he considered switching (back) to Troy Smith in the second half.

  “It wasn’t just Alex,” Singletary said. “If it was just Alex, then it would’ve been easier to try and figure out, let’s make a decision and do this or that. But it wasn’t just him.”

  The 49ers were sloppy on special teams, when Moran Norris’ face-mask penalty wiped out Ted Ginn’s potential kickoff return for a touchdown to open the third quarter.

  The 49ers were sloppy when linebacker Ahmad Brooks dropped a surefire interception late in the second quarter, deep in San Diego territory, with the score still only 10-0.

  The 49ers were sloppy as they’ve been all season, starting in Week 1 against Seattle and going through almost every game of this season.

  This is who they are. Mike Singletary, can you possibly say this team still deserves a chance to make the playoffs?

  “This team has had its highs and lows,” Singletary said. “But if we are fortunate enough to go to the playoffs, I believe that we deserve to go.”

  They will not be so fortunate. They will not make the playoffs. They’re not good enough to win their last two, because they’re a bad team, playing badly, in a season of near-complete badness.

  Read Tim Kawakami’s Talking Points blog at blogs.mercurynews.com/kawakami. Contact him at tkawakami@mercurynews.com or 408-920-5442.

SAN DIEGO – Chargers 34, 49ers 7

The San Diego Chargers have regained their December swagger, thanks to Vincent Jackson’s return and a smash-mouth defense.

Jackson caught a career-high three touchdown passes, Philip Rivers surpassed 4,000 yards passing for the third straight season and the Chargers beat Alex Smith and the San Francisco 49ers 34-7 on Thursday night to stay alive in the AFC West race.

Jackson reminded the Chargers just what they missed when he sat out 10 games during a nasty contract dispute.

“Since I’ve been here, it’s like I had never left,” said Jackson, who had his first three TD grabs of the season, of 58, 11 and 21 yards.

“He seems to be in midseason form,” Rivers said. “I feel like he’s been here for 15 weeks. That’s a credit to the way he practices.”

The Chargers (8-6) pulled within a half-game of AFC West leader Kansas City (8-5), which lost 31-0 at San Diego on Sunday.

San Francisco was probably the toughest test left for the Chargers, who finish with games at Cincinnati (2-11) and Denver (3-10). If San Diego wins out and the Chiefs lose once, the Chargers will win their fifth straight division title.

The Chargers came within 4:26 of having consecutive shutouts for the first time in their 51-year history.

The 49ers (5-9) could wind up 7-9 and in a three-way tie and still win the NFC West, the NFL’s weakest division.

Rivers and Jackson came out early in the fourth quarter and the Chargers leading 31-0.

Rivers was 19 of 25 for 273 yards, giving him 4,141 for the season. He tied Hall of Famer Dan Fouts’ team record set from 1979-81. Jackson had five catches for 112 yards.

“He and Phil have such a good rapport,” center Nick Hardwick said. “They both know what’s going on, and they’ve studied for hours together. We were expecting him to come in and explode, and that’s what he’s done. He’s a beast. He does things other players can’t do, and he did it tonight.”

Unhappy that the Chargers didn’t give him a long-term deal, Jackson sat out the first seven games. He then missed three more games while serving a team-imposed suspension. The move cost him some $3 million in salary.

When he returned at Indianapolis on Nov. 28, he pulled a calf muscle two plays in and was done for the night and the next game.

On the fourth play from scrimmage, Rivers wound up and threw deep. The 6-foot-5 Jackson slowed down and reached out over 6-foot Nate Clements’ head to make the catch at about the 15 before outracing the cornerback into the end zone.

Jackson exploited a mismatch against linebacker Takeo Spikes for an easy 11-yard catch just before halftime.

Jackson pulled in a 21-yarder early in the fourth quarter, getting the ball just past the pylon. The play was upheld after a review.

Mike Tolbert had a 1-yard TD run in the third quarter and Nate Kaeding kicked field goals of 25 and 39 yards.

Smith fell far short of having the happy homecoming he was hoping for. Coming off a promising return following a five-game absence, he was 19 of 29 for 165 yards with one interception and was sacked six times.

“We wanted it bad,” linebacker Brandon Siler said of the shutout that just eluded the Bolts. “We were saying on the sideline, ‘Don’t give up anything cheap.’ It hurts a little bit, but I think we already know we’re a good defense. We proved that.”

San Francisco’s only score came on Brian Westbrook’s 3-yard run with 4:26 left.

The 49ers watched as both a field goal and a touchdown came off the scoreboard in a span of four plays early in the second quarter.

Jeff Reed kicked a 38-yard field goal but San Diego’s Antonio Garay was whistled for unnecessary roughness for trying to gain leverage, giving the 49ers first-and-goal at the 10. Smith scrambled and dove at the left pylon on third down and it was ruled a touchdown. The Chargers challenged and it was reversed, with Smith ruled down inches from the goal line. On fourth down at the 1, Siler threw Anthony Dixon for a 2-yard loss.

“I just read the play and got in there,” Siler said. “I think it takes the energy and the momentum out of a team when you do something like that.”

Said Smith: “It continued to get one-dimensional for us. When you play a defense of that caliber, they’re the No. 1 defense for a reason. They played well.”

Smith was playing against his hometown Chargers for the first time in the regular season.

Michael Crabtree had just three catches for 17 yards and Pro Bowl tight end Vernon Davis didn’t have a catch until the waning minutes, finishing with one for 4 yards.

“This team has highs and lows, but if we are fortunate enough to go to the playoffs, I think we deserve to go,” 49ers coach Mike Singletary said.

NOTES: The Chargers tied the team record for consecutive shutout quarters at seven. … 49ers DT Justin Smith was ejected after making contact with umpire Garth DeFelice following a play. The lineman was in an argument with at least one Chargers player when he appeared to shove DeFelice, who was trying to keep him out of the scuffle.

(Copyright ©2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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San Francisco 49ers vs San Diego Chargers NFL Live Stream Online - For different reasons, the San Diego Chargers and San Francisco 49ers are surprisingly one game out of first place in their respective divisions. One of them is about to see those title hopes take a major hit. Apparently, starting inside linebackers Patrick Willis and Takeo Spikes — the San Francisco 49ers’ top tacklers — sat out Wednesday’s practice, but both said they want to play against the San Diego Chargers on Thursday night, the San Jose Mercury News reported.

Live from the Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, CA, the San Francisco 49ers vs San Diego Chargers football game matchup will start at exactly 8:20 pm ET, Thursday, December 16, 2010.

Furthermore, Alex Smith threw for 255 yards and three touchdowns in a triumphant return to the starting lineup following a five-game absence, and the 49ers improved their once-slim playoff chances with a 40-21 victory over the NFC West rival Seattle Seahawks on Sunday. The four-time reigning AFC West champion Chargers opened 2-5 but have won five of six following Sunday’s 31-0 victory over first-place Kansas City, pulling within one game of the Chiefs.

The Chargers’ final two games will be visits to Cincinnati and Denver, which have combined for five wins. The 49ers find themselves in a familiar position after beating Seattle 40-21 on Sunday to win for the fifth time in eight games and move one game back of the Seahawks and St. Louis in the division. The strong stretch has helped San Francisco move past an 0-5 start after showing major promise with a .500 finish last season.

On the other hand, San Diego Chargers tight end Antonio Gates is unlikely to play against the San Francisco 49ers on Thursday night, according to a source with knowledge of the situation. Philip Rivers threw two touchdown passes to Malcom Floyd and the Chargers remained alive in the AFC West race with a 31-0 win Sunday over the division-leading Chiefs, who went nowhere without Cassel. The Chargers collected four sacks against the Chiefs while holding them to 67 yards — 19 passing — for the second-fewest allowed in team history.

“As long as we take care of our business, they won’t put 40 up on us,” said cornerback Antoine Cason, San Diego’s leader with four interceptions. “I truly believe that. For us to be a confident team like we are, we need to prepare like we always have during this short week. If we take care of our business, we’re going to be fine.”

Catch your favourite football players and teams now by tuning to the live coverage of San Francisco 49ers vs San Diego Chargers via NFLN and in other sports channel now. Better check your local channel listings now for the availability of the game airing schedule.

GAME RESULTS AND RECAP:

Jackson caught a career-high three touchdown passes, Philip Rivers surpassed 4,000 yards passing for the third straight season and the Chargers beat Alex Smith and the San Francisco 49ers 34-7 on Thursday night to stay alive in the AFC West race.

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