(My Sportsbook) - Philip Rivers understood he had to shoulder the load this past Sunday with star running back LaDainian Tomlinson out with an ankle injury. Unfortunately, the Baltimore Ravens also knew that and dared Rivers to beat them.

Rivers did his best John Elway before Terrell Davis impression and threw for a career-high 436 yards on 25-of-45 passing with two touchdowns and a pair of interceptions in San Diego's home opener. The recipient of a huge contract extension in the offseason, Rivers was set to lead the Chargers to victory until Ravens linebacker and future Hall of Famer Ray Lewis snuffed out Darren Sproles on fourth down to seal the win.

The packed house at Qualcomm Stadium probably thought Rivers was going to win it with his arm, but he and Chargers head coach Norv Turner believed otherwise.

"You can't keep throwing it, throwing it and throwing it...well, you can," said Rivers, who tied Hall of Famer Dan Fouts for third-most passing yards in a game in team history. "It was a play [Sproles' run] that we didn't execute. It's tough to end that way."

The final score was 31-26 and the Chargers peered down a 1-1 start for the first time since an 11-5 campaign in 2007. Rivers and company struggled in the red zone for the second straight week after moving the ball up and down the field. San Diego outgained the Ravens 474-311 in total yards, but failed to score a touchdown in four close attempts.

The Chargers, who won 24-20 against Oakland in Week 1, still almost recorded their second straight come-from-behind victory.

Rivers was without a few starters on the offensive line and was sacked twice by Baltimore's ferocious defense.

The offense did its best to survive without center Nick Hardwick and guard Louis Vasquez. Scott Mruczkowski and Brandyn Dombrowski were thrust into the lineup and saw many different looks on Sunday than in the film room. There's no doubt Ravens head coach John Harbaugh and his staff did that on purpose to confuse the young and inexperienced linemen.

Turner probably felt the most heat and he didn't even play a snap. The oft- criticized coach is expected to get this team even further than last year's AFC Championship Game appearance, but may not have a job for long with another performance like Sunday's.

Sproles usually confuses defenses when he's used on the fly instead of an every-down back. Maybe that's why he only posted 26 yards on 10 carries. He did, however, contribute to the pass attack with seven receptions for 124 yards and a touchdown.

Tomlinson is getting older, and his recent nagging injuries over the years are proof of that. He needs to get back to full strength fast in order to keep defenses on its heels. If "L.T." is unable to play this coming week, the Chargers (1-1) will go with Sproles and Michael Bennett again.

San Diego's defense was without nose guard Jamal Williams, who landed on injured reserve Saturday because of a triceps injury. Ogemdi Nwagbuo replaced him in the middle and finished with three stops for a San Diego stop unit that allowed 300-plus yards of offense for a second consecutive week. In the win over Oakland, the Chargers defense was battered for 366 total yards, including 218 passing.

"It's a big concern," linebacker Shawne Merriman said. "We have to be better at tackling. A lot of [Baltimore's] big plays (were) yards they picked up after the initial guy missed. We have to get guys on the ground and guys swarming to the ball to be a top-notch defense."

The AFC West favorites get back to work this week in preparation for the Miami Dolphins on Sunday.

RAIDERS: The Oakland Raiders stole a victory from the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday, but departed Arrowhead Stadium with a big loss on the offensive line.

Starting guard and top pick in 2004 Robert Gallery suffered a broken left fibula in the game and is expected to miss the next four-to-six weeks. He has started 34 straight games at left guard.

With Gallery out for part of the day, the Raiders only produced 67 rushing yards against the Chiefs. Running back Darren McFadden, however, scored on a five-yard touchdown run on Gallery's side with 1:07 remaining to put Oakland ahead for good.

"It's just a matter of when you get in the fourth quarter in this league, to have a chance to win you better take your opportunity," Raiders head coach Tom Cable said. "And yesterday we were fortunate to do that."

Unfortunately, Cable now has a decision to make as to who will take over Gallery's spot in the starting lineup. After the former tackle from the University of Iowa went down, Cable moved center Chris Morris to guard and Samson Satele took over snapping the football. Cable could also move several players around such as Khalif Barnes, Erik Pears and Paul McQuistan. McQuistan has been inactive for the first two weeks for the Raiders (1-1), while Barnes is still recovering from a broken ankle suffered in August.

The Raiders are trying to establish themselves as a running team, since quarterback JaMarcus Russell has been streaky ever since he was taken No. 1 overall a few years ago. McFadden is only in his second season, so he needs all the help and experience up front he can get. He has the skills to make it in this league, but losing a starting offensive lineman is never good news for a team's ground attack. It hurts the scheme because now the current Oakland linemen have to work with a new player and get used to different techniques in order to build a cohesive unit.

The Raiders need as much firepower as they can get with rival Denver up next.

"Much improved team. Pressure team, reminds you of Baltimore with Mike Nolan there in terms of defensive coordinator," Cable said of the Broncos. "Try to overload pressure you. They got some confidence, they're 2-0."

The Raiders have some confidence too, especially on the defense. Safety Michael Huff picked off Kansas City quarterback Matt Cassel twice and has three on the season. Defensive end Greg Ellis posted two sacks at Arrowhead and owns three so far in two games. Oakland's defense hung in there despite being outgained 409-166 in total yards.

In other team news, veteran punter Shane Lechler averaged 56.9 yards on seven punts Sunday, with a long of 70 yards and a net of 45.9 yards.

Russell, meanwhile, continued to struggle and threw for 109 yards on 7-of-24 passing against Kansas City. In a Week 1 loss to San Diego, he recorded 208 yards passing, two interceptions and a touchdown.

Not to make excuses for the rocket-armed Russell, but his receivers are nothing to brag about, and that includes 2009 first-round pick Darrius Heyward-Bey. The rookie was blanked in his NFL debut against the Chargers, but did come away with his first NFL reception on an 18-yard strike from Russell against Kansas City. He hopes for more action when Denver pays a visit to the Coliseum this Sunday.

CHIEFS: The only way the Kansas City Chiefs can avoid being an afterthought this weekend is by winning. The NFL world will have its eyes on Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, when Michael Vick makes his official return to the NFL after missing two years for federal dogfighting charges in Sunday's game against the Chiefs.

The Chiefs must not get caught up in all the hype surrounding Vick, whose participation amount is unknown. Defensive coordinator Clancy Pendergast will try to break out all the stops and give a deluge of different formations, something the Eagles did often on offense in last week's loss to New Orleans, when Philadelphia puts the playmaking quarterback in the game.

Pendergast has coached in the NFL since the mid-1990's, so he's very aware of what Vick can do in open space. The only problem is that the majority of Kansas City's young defense doesn't have that luxury.

Another problem for the Chiefs is that they play their next four games against the NFC East starting with this weekend's bout in Philadelphia, the team's first visit there since the 1998 campaign. Kansas City will host the New York Giants and Dallas Cowboys before hitting the road again against the Washington Redskins.

But first comes the Eagles and a chance for Kansas City to wipe out the awful memories of last Sunday's 13-10 loss to the rival Oakland Raiders. First-year head coach Todd Haley probably thought he was in line for his first NFL victory after the Chiefs dominated most of the game, gaining 409 yards of offense to Oakland's 166. They also had 25 first downs to the Raiders' 11 and held the ball for over 38 1/2 minutes.

"It's real tough," Chiefs wideout Dwayne Bowe said. "Especially when you know you have it won. But we let them hang in there from the end of the second quarter by not putting any points up. We have to be disciplined and have to be correct."

The Chiefs' discipline will be put to the test, especially if Eagles All-Pro quarterback Donovan McNabb is back under center and can return from a cracked rib. They certainly can't expect to wipe out Philadelphia on the stat sheet, like the team did last week versus Oakland.

Sunday's game will mark just the sixth-ever regular season meeting between Kansas City and the Eagles. Philadelphia holds a 3-2 edge in the regular- season series and has won back-to-back games against the Chiefs, claiming victories at Arrowhead Stadium in 2001 and 2005.

Kansas City has a tough task in trying to climb out of an 0-2 hole, but did see some promising signs in last week's setback. Quarterback Matt Cassel made his Chiefs debut after missing the season-opening loss to San Diego and threw for 241 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions on 24-of-39 passing. Cassel also showed his ability to scramble, gaining 34 yards on five carries. He may be doing a lot of that Sunday against Philadelphia's blitz-happy stop unit.

Cassel will also be looking for wideout Bowe, who has scored in back-to-back games and will be looking to do so once more against an Eagles secondary that was torched by Saints Pro Bowl quarterback Drew Brees. New Chiefs wideout Bobby Wade made his debut on Sunday and led the team with six catches for a game-high 72 yards.

If the Chiefs can avoid the penalties, turnovers and mental lapses on Sunday, they have a good shot at giving Haley his first win as an NFL head coach regardless of the circus that will ensue a few days prior to kickoff.

BRONCOS: They say one player doesn't make a difference in the NFL. Denver Broncos linebacker Elvis Dumervil proved that to be a farse when his relentless pursuit of Cleveland quarterback Brady Quinn led to four sacks, a forced fumble and a pass breakup in his team's 27-6 victory over the Browns on Sunday.

Dumervil was able to pin his ears back and rush the quarterback after the Broncos jumped out to a comfortable lead, forcing Cleveland to pass often. The former Louisville star, who is tied for sixth in the NFL in multiple-sack games since he came into the league in 2006, tied former defensive stalwart Simon Fletcher for the franchise single-game record set back in 1990. Fletcher is Denver's all-time sack king with 97 1/2, and his 16 sacks in 1992 are still a single-season club record.

"He's just a relentless pass rusher," Broncos cornerback Champ Bailey said. "He's one of the best I've seen, and I've played with some great ones. Elvis, he never stops, his motor's always on, and I appreciate him for what he did today."

Defensive coordinator Mike Nolan has to appreciate the effort he got from veterans and youngsters in his 3-4 scheme. Safety Brian Dawkins had six tackles, two tipped passes and recovered a fumble in his second straight productive week to help keep the Browns out of the end zone. Linebacker Andra Davis led the squad with 10 stops, and Dumervil capped his great day with seven total stops.

The relentless effort is a huge improvement so far, as Denver ranked 28th in points allowed in 2007 and 30th last year.

The confident Broncos are aiming for their second consecutive 3-0 start, after beating Cincinnati on a fluke play in Week 1 and handing Cleveland a 27-6 setback this past Sunday. Not to rain on the parade, but the Browns and Broncos combined for eight total wins last year.

The Browns ran for 54 yards on Sunday, while Denver racked up 449 total yards of offense behind a convincing performance from quarterback Kyle Orton. The former Chicago Bear, who many pundits say couldn't lead his alma mater Purdue to a win right now, threw for 263 yards with a touchdown pass for an 83.5 rating to complete the team effort.

Rookie running back Knowshon Moreno had 75 yards on 17 carries in Sunday's win, one week after carrying the ball eight times for 19 yards against the Bengals. Moreno will continue to share carries with current starter Correll Buckhalter, who had 76 yards on nine touches, including a 45-yard touchdown run to complete the scoring in the win over Cleveland.

Denver has been known for having a crowded backfield, and it won't be any different for the time being. It will try to run wild on rival Oakland this weekend at the Coliseum.

"To me, you can call me crazy, call me whatever you want -- it started in the Arizona (preseason) game," Dawkins said. "That feeling kind of moved forward. It's the second game of the season, a lot of football is left to be played, but I love the progress we're making."