Denver (7-5) at San Diego (10-2) Sunday 4:15 pm EST
SAN DIEGO (Ticker) -- LaDainian Tomlinson continues his march
toward NFL history Sunday when the San Diego Chargers host the
Denver Broncos in an AFC West matchup.
Arguably the NFL's best running back, Tomlinson has 26
touchdowns, two shy of matching Seattle's Shaun Alexander's
single-season record set last season. His TDs are tied with
Marshall Faulk for the third most in a season. Priest Holmes
had 27 TDs for Kansas City in 2003.
"It seems like each time this thing continues to grow, guys
score more touchdowns," Tomlinson said. "It's no different
here. I think it's been since Emmitt, it's been more guys really
getting close to the record. Before that time, it was kind of
a big deal to surpass the touchdown record. I don't know who
had it before Emmitt, but once he did it, then it seemed like
Marshall and Priest and Shaun, it seems like it's continuing.
And so it's just another milestone."
"His achievements, I've run out of superlatives," Chargers coach
Marty Schottenheimer said Monday. "It's what he does. I'm going
to tell you what - I stand on the sideline and I watch him like
a fan. It's amazing."
Tomlinson has scored 23 touchdowns in the last eight games. He
rushed for three TDs and caught a 51-yard score in a 35-27
victory at Denver on November 19, a contest in which the
Chargers erased a 17-point second-half deficit.
Last Sunday, Tomlinson rushed for 178 yards and two touchdowns
in a 24-21 victory at Buffalo.
Tomlinson leads the league with 1,324 rushing yards and 1,794
yards from scrimmage
With Tomlinson paving the way, the Chargers have won six
straight games to put themselves on the verge of winning their
first division title since 2004 and clinching just their second
playoff berth in 11 seasons.
San Diego, which owns a three-game lead over both Kansas City
and Denver, could win the division with a win, coupled with a
Kansas City loss to Baltimore earlier Sunday. Things are going
in the opposite direction for the Broncos, who are trying to
avoid their first four-game losing since an 0-4 start in 1999.
Broncos coach Mike Shanahan, who has guided the franchise to two
Super Bowl titles, made the switch from veteran Jake Plummer to
rookie Jay Cutler at quarterback in last Sunday night's 23-20
home loss to Seattle.
Cutler showed his inexperience in his first career start,
throwing two interceptions, one of which was returned for a
touchdown while also losing a fumble. He completed 10-of-21
passes for 143 yards and two touchdowns.
Denver is one of five teams in the AFC with a 7-5 record.