Chargers lead Pats 14-10 at start of 3rd

LaDainian Tomlinson scored on a short touchdown run and Michael Turner added a 6-yard scoring run to give the San Diego Chargers a 14-10 lead over the New England Patriots at the start of the third quarter in Sunday's AFC divisional playoff.

The winner will face the Indianapolis Colts in the AFC championship game.

The Patriots were completely shut down by the Chargers defense until the final two minutes of the half. New England quarterback Tom Brady led an 11-play, 72-yard drive in 1:56 that culminated in a 6-yard touchdown pass to Jabar Gaffney.

Brady had a mediocre half by his playoff standards with just 93 yards _ most coming on the late touchdown drive _ and an interception. He is 11-1 in the playoffs, including three Super Bowl victories in a four-year span.

Tomlinson was unstoppable with 79 yards on 14 carries and two catches for 64 yards _ single-handedly outgaining the Patriots, who had 139 offensive yards in the half.

San Diego has been supercharged by Tomlinson, who rewrote the league's single-season scoring records with 31 touchdowns and 186 points. He was still looking for his first playoff win _ and touchdown _ in his six-year career.

The question this day is whether the Chargers' high-octane offense could overwhelm the stingy Patriots defense.

San Diego scored an NFL-high 492 points behind Tomlinson and first-year starting quarterback Philip Rivers. New England held its opponents to 237, second-lowest in the league.

While the Patriots were trying to march to their fourth Super Bowl appearance in six seasons, the Chargers and their coach, Marty Schottenheimer, were looking to erase some brutal playoff history.

The Chargers haven't won in the playoffs since stunning Pittsburgh in the AFC championship game on Jan. 15, 1995. Counting the Super Bowl wipeout that followed, they've lost three straight in the postseason.

San Diego beat the Patriots twice in the last five regular seasons, in 2002 in San Diego and in 2005, when they snapped the Patriots' NFL-record 21-game home winning streak.