Antonio Gates caught a 14-yard yard scoring pass from Philip Rivers on the game’s opening drive to snap a streak of six straight quarters without a touchdown, and the Chargers went on to a 31-13 victory over the staggering Chiefs last night in San Diego.
The Chiefs, who lost their fifth straight, committed four more turnovers to run their NFL-high mark to a staggering 29, which have led to 104 points.
Snapping a three-game losing streak might take some heat off coach Norv Turner, who has been heavily criticized by fans after the Chargers (4-4) blew double-digit, second-half leads in losses to New Orleans and Denver, and then lost 7-6 at Cleveland on Sunday.
The heat will surely intensify on coach Romeo Crennel, whose team is 1-7.
FALCONS: Outside linebacker Sean Weatherspoon will miss Sunday night’s game against the Cowboys with a right ankle injury.
Weatherspoon injured the ankle in Sunday’s 30-17 win at Philadelphia. Also, coach Mike Smith said receiver Kevin Cone will miss the game because of groin injury.
PATRIOTS: Looking to firm up its shaky secondary, New England gave up its fourth-round pick in next year’s draft to obtain cornerback Aqib Talib from the Buccaneers
Talib will be eligible to play in the Patriots’ next game on Nov. 11 after serving a four-game NFL suspension without pay for violating the league’s policy on performance-enhancing substances.
DOLPHINS: Quarterback Ryan Tannehill remains limited in practice, and his availability for Sunday’s game at Indianapolis is uncertain.
Tannehill injured his left leg in last week’s 30-9 win over the Jets. He was replaced by Matt Moore, who has been taking some snaps this week with the starters.
JAGUARS: Running back Keith Toston was re-signed and rookie linebacker Brandon Marshall was waived again.
Toston spent the preseason with the Jaguars before being waived on final cuts. He was re-signed last week and returned two kickoffs for 49 yards against Green Bay. He was waived Tuesday, replaced on the roster by Marshall. Toston could be active again Sunday against Detroit since Maurice Jones-Drew (foot) is out and backup Montell Owens (shoulder) has missed more practice time.
PACKERS: Wide receiver Greg Jennings had surgery to repair the torn abdominal muscle that has sidelined him for much of the season.
Jennings said on Twitter that “surgery went well tweeps!!” and posted a picture of himself in a hospital bed. No return date has been given, though Packers coach Mike McCarthy said it probably would be a minimum of a few weeks.