Chargers strike a costly blow

By TOM WILLIAMS
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
CLEVELAND -- The Cleveland Browns let a golden opportunity to take charge of the AFC North Division slip through their collective fingers.
Dropped passes by Browns targets, costly penalties and two very unwise throws by quarterback Tim Couch combined to help the NFL's only winless team open a 14-point third-quarter lead Sunday at Cleveland Browns Stadium.
Kelly Holcomb's return sparked a fourth-quarter Browns comeback, but a ball thrown behind wide receiver Kevin Johnson on fourth down ended the rally as the San Diego Chargers hung on for a 26-20 victory, snapping the Browns' two-game winning streak.
"It was a horrible waste of an effort in the first half," said Browns coach Butch Davis, who indicated he won't name his starting quarterback for next Sunday's game at New England until Wednesday. "We played about as inconsistently and poorly as you can possibly play in several different areas."
Tomlinson unstoppable
Stopping Chargers tailback LaDainian Tomlinson, especially in the second half, was a major problem. Tomlinson rushed for 200 yards on 26 carries, with 143 coming after coach Marty Schottenheimer's team jumped out to a 13-3 halftime lead.
Seventy of them came on the Chargers' first offensive play after the Browns (3-4) converted Earl Little's interception of a Drew Brees pass early in the third quarter into a 42-yard Phil Dawson field goal.
Tomlinson shed three Browns defenders, including middle linebacker Andra Davis, to break free for a 70-yard touchdown that put San Diego ahead, 20-6.
"He's the best back we have faced all year, probably the best we will face all year," said Davis, whose team gave up an NFL-record 295 yards by Ravens tailback Jamal Lewis on Sept. 14. "He's the real deal."
Butch Davis said Tomlinson is "a good cutback runner and he's got great speed. And when you let him loose in the secondary, he's a difficult guy to catch."
Late in the third quarter, free safety Terence Kiel stole a Couch pass in heavy San Diego traffic and returned it 15 yards to the Cleveland 32, setting up Steve Christie's 42-yard field goal for a 23-6 lead.
Holcomb to the rescue
Davis sent Holcomb out for his first action since he broke a bone in one leg while injuring his ankle in the other in leading Cleveland to a 13-12 victory at San Francisco on Sept. 21.
"On the heels of the two interceptions, we felt like we needed a spark," Davis said of the switch. "He got us back into the game and could have won the game."
The lift was immediate as Holcomb marched the Browns 74 yards on seven plays and hit wide receiver Dennis Northcutt for a 6-yard touchdown pass early in the fourth quarter.
On the ensuing kickoff, Barry Gardner leveled Chargers returner Tim Dwight, forcing a fumble covered by the Browns' Jamel White at the San Diego 35.
On fourth-and-6, Holcomb hit Johnson for a 16-yard pickup, setting up his 1-yard touchdown to tight end Darnell Sanders that cut the Chargers' lead to three points with 11:40 to go.
Brees, who completed 9-of-18 passes for 74 yards, drove the Chargers 58 yards on 13 plays for Christie's fourth field goal.
The Chargers received a major boost when Andra Davis was flagged for roughing the passer early in the drive.
"I saw him and knew he was going to throw it," Davis said. "I tried to get my hands up to get in his way. I might have hit him coming down."
Last chance
Trailing by six, the Browns' next drive stalled at midfield when Holcomb's fourth-down pass bounced off Johnson's hands.
"I saw it was a little behind me," Johnson said. "I tried to reach back and their guy [cornerback Sammy Davis] was able to catch up. He just came up and made a good play. It was close [to being pass interference], but with that much time in the game, the officials are not going to try and change the outcome."
Cleveland's loss, combined with Cincinnati's win over Baltimore, has tightened the AFC North so that the first-place Ravens (3-3) lead third-place Pittsburgh (2-4) and the Bengals (2-4) by one game. In between are the Browns (3-4).
williams@vindy.com