JIM BAIRD / Union-Tribune
Seattle's Ken Hamlin is called for interference on Chargers receiver Malcom Floyd.
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Almost an hour after the game, his throwing shoulder bruised and a little stiff, Philip Rivers' pride was the thing that had taken the biggest shot, it appeared.
“Unbelievable,” he said, shaking his head, rolling his eyes and shrugging. “I don't know what happened. That blows my mind.”
There must be equal wonderment at the comeback the Chargers staged last night, with Rivers getting some of that credit too, despite fumbling three times.
Ultimately, it was the backups that pulled away for a 31-20 victory over the Seattle Seahawks last night at Qualcomm Stadium.
It all really means precious little, destined to be forgotten in the coming days, but the Chargers did put on quite an exhibition in their second-to-last exhibition game of the summer.
Rivers ended up being OK, maybe. Linebacker Shawne Merriman made a spectacular interception. Michael Turner was as good as any running back in San Diego.
“I was very proud of the way we hung together,” head coach Marty Schottenheimer said at halftime. “We played hard ... It's amazing what you can do if you don't turn the ball over.”
Most important, the Chargers survived the first play of the game – in more ways than just coming back on the scoreboard.
While there is some question as to Rivers' health – “A little ding, a little bruise,” he said of his shoulder – the Chargers ought to be happy Rivers did not end up like Drew Brees.
On that first play – in pretty much the same spot where Brees' Chargers career was ended by a hit that separated his shoulder and tore his labrum on Dec. 31 – Rivers fumbled the football as he went back to hand off. As Rivers crawled toward the ball, which rolled into the end zone, Seahawks defensive tackle Rocky Bernard jumped on top and then over him en route to picking up the ball in the end zone.
“I don't have an explanation,” Rivers said. “I just threw the ball in the ground.”
That was not the play on which he was hurt. He played the rest of the first half but did not emerge from the locker room until early in the third quarter, his right shoulder wrapped.
He said later he could have continued playing in a regular-season game and not been “hindered in any way.”
Rivers was injured when he was hit from behind as he was preparing to throw late in the second quarter. He lost the ball on that play. He played the next series, throwing two incompletions, including a deep ball.
Eight days earlier, it took three snaps for Rivers to turn the ball over – on an interception into the hands of Chicago linebacker Brian Urlacher.
Last night, it took him four plays to fumble twice.
On the third play of his second drive, Rivers did not even get the ball from center Nick Hardwick. It appeared to be a good snap; Rivers just didn't handle it.
Leroy Hill landed on the ball in a pile at the 39, and just 1:34 into the game the Seahawks had the ball for the second time. When Shaun Alexander skipped untouched into the end zone from the 9, the Seahawks were up two touchdowns with just 3:46 elapsed.
“Our play started off in a ridiculous way,” Rivers said. “We started with two unacceptable plays . . . After the first two plays, we bounced back and put up some points.”
Enter Turner, who as he has in every opportunity he has gotten – official and unofficial – ran the ball as if he did it for a living.
Stuck behind perhaps the game's best back, Turner is a preseason phenom. While he has had fine runs in the regular season, he has been an all-star in extended preseason work.
With the Chargers down 14-0, Turner took a handoff at the 38, ran through a huge seam on the left side, went to the sideline and outraced a few Seahawks to the end zone to halve the deficit.
Late in the first quarter, on a first down from the Seattle 22, Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck threw a ball over the middle intended for Maurice Mann. Merriman leaped, tipped the ball up and then dived into a pile and pulled down the interception at the 40.
On the Chargers' next play, Rivers launched a pass to Malcom Floyd in the back of the end zone. A pass interference penalty against Ken Hamlin put the Chargers at the 1. On their third try, Turner bulled across the goal line.
Turner has carried 23 times this preseason for 151 yards and three TDs. In three preseasons, he has five touchdown runs.
Rivers finished 6-for-11 for 89 yards. He handed off 21 times in his nine series.
The Seahawks had 98 yards in the first half, the third time in three exhibitions the Chargers have allowed less than 100 yards in the first half.
Kevin Acee: (619) 293-1857; kevin.acee@uniontrib.com
