With Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger cheering them on, the San Diego Chargers did their best for their fire-ravaged community by demolishing the Houston Texans 35-10 on Sunday at Qualcomm Stadium.
“It was kind of like a win for the San Diego Chargers, but at the same time it was a win for San Diego itself,” said Chargers tight end Antonio Gates. “Football was secondary compared to the things that were going on. We were just glad we could come up with a win to uplift this city.”
The Chargers practiced last week in Arizona as smoke from the wildfires spread throughout San Diego County. Players’ homes were evacuated and more than 10,000 evacuees from the area took shelter at Qualcomm Stadium.
It wasn’t until late in the week that the Chargers found out they would be playing on their home field.
Before the game, two dozen firefighters, police and National Guard members were introduced. Schwarzenegger tossed the coin and the Chargers won the toss.
“Go, Chargers, go!” cheered Schwarzenegger, and the Chargers didn’t disappoint.
Philip Rivers threw for three touchdowns, two to Gates; LaDainian Tomlinson ran for 90 yards, and cornerback Antonio Cromartie recovered a fumble in the end zone for a touchdown and ran an interception back for another score.
In the end, the Chargers won their third straight game, moved above the .500 mark and got things a little more back to normal in their community.