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13-JAN-2008: Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning (18) fires
a pass to Joseph Addai in the first quarter of an NFL divisional
playoff football game against the San Diego Chargers Sunday, Jan. 13,
2008, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings), [Photo copyright
2008 by AP]
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INDIANAPOLIS - Backup quarterback Billy Volek scored on a sneak and Philip Rivers threw three touchdown passes before hurting his right knee to give the San Diego Chargers a 28-24 lead over the defending Super Bowl champion Indianapolis Colts in the fourth quarter of Sunday's AFC divisional playoff.LAST MINUTE TRAVEL DEALS Rivers was sent to the locker room after hurting his right knee on a short pass that Darren Sproles turned into a 56-yard touchdown on the last play of the third quarter. Rivers jumped to throw the ball to Sproles and landed awkwardly. He was helped onto a training table on the sideline before going to the locker room for evaluation. By the time he jogged back out of the tunnel onto the Chargers sideline, he already had been replaced by Volek. San Diego also suffered a big blow when NFL rushing champ LaDainian Tomlinson limped off the field during the second quarter with a bruised left knee. Tomlinson was hurt at the end of an 8-yard run that helped set up a touchdown by the Chargers. The NFL rushing leader fumbled on the play, but San Diego recovered and Rivers hit Jackson for a score on the next play. Tomlinson went to the sideline and was examined. After testing his leg by jogging in front of the bench, the Chargers star remained on the sideline riding a stationary bike when San Diego's offense went onto the field for its next possession. Anthony Gonzalez tiptoed his way down the sideline on a 55-yard touchdown pass from Peyton Manning to give the Colts a 24-21 lead earlier in the quarter. Gonzalez, whose role in the Colts' offense steadily increased during the season with Marvin Harrison battling a nagging leg injury, barely kept himself in bounds on the catch before sprinting into the end zone. San Diego coach Norv Turner challenged the ruling, but the touchdown was upheld. Indianapolis lost safety Bob Sanders, the NFL Defensive Player of the Year, briefly with a shoulder injury, while running back Joseph Addai sat out a portion of the second half after being shaken up on a 10-yard run. The lead changed hands in the third quarter when San Diego receiver Chris Chambers scored on a 30-yard pass from Rivers for a 14-10 lead before Peyton Manning put the Colts ahead 17-14 with a 9-yard touchdown pass to Reggie Wayne later in the quarter. On the game's opening drive, Manning put the Colts on the board with a 25-yard touchdown pass to Dallas Clark before the Chargers tied it on Rivers' 14-yard scoring pass to Vincent Jackson midway through the second. Adam Vinatieri kicked a 46-yard field goal later in the second to put the Colts up 10-7. Tight end Antonio Gates, whose status was uncertain because of a dislocated big left toe, played sparingly in the first half. His first reception, a 23-yard catch, came on the same drive Tomlinson was hurt. Chargers defensive end Luis Castillo also was taken to the locker room for attention after being blocked in the ribs on a first-quarter passing play. He returned after only missing a few plays. Gates was injured during the first half of San Diego's 17-6 wild-card victory over the Tennessee Titans. He didn't practice during the week, but the Chargers decided against declaring him inactive against Colts. The Pro Bowl tight end limped off the field after San Diego's third offensive play and was in and out of the lineup the remainder of the half.
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13-JAN-2008: Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning (18) fires
a pass to Joseph Addai in the first quarter of an NFL divisional
playoff football game against the San Diego Chargers Sunday, Jan. 13,
2008, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings), [Photo copyright
2008 by AP]
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