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Darren Sproles’ 89-yard kickoff return on the opening play of tonight’s game was the Chargers’ first since Tim Dwight had an 87-yard return for touchdown on Sept. 19, 2004 against the New York Jets…it was his first career kickoff return for a touchdown.

 

Sproles scored again later in the first quarter on a 45-yard punt return…it was the Chargers’ first punt return since Tim Dwight had an 84-yard punt return for a touchdown on Sept. 9, 2001 against Washington…it too was Sproles’ first career punt return for a touchdown.

 

Sproles became the ninth player in NFL history to score on a kickoff and punt return for a touchdown in the same game…former Cleveland Brown Bobby Mitchell is the only other player to score on both of his returns in the first quarter, doing so against Philadelphia on Nov. 23, 1958.

 

The Chargers have now scored five return touchdowns in the last three games and six in the last five games.

 

Antonio Cromartie tied a team record with three interceptions tonight…it’s the 11th time in team history that a player recorded three interceptions in a game…the last to do so was Dwayne Harper, who had three against Oakland on Nov. 27, 1995.

 

Cromartie had all three of his picks in the first half…they are the most interceptions in one half of a game since Stevon Moore of Cleveland had three in the first half at the Houston Oilers on Sept. 17, 1995.

 

Cromartie leads the team with six interceptions on the season…all six have taken place in the last four games…the last player to have six picks in a four-game span was safety Chris Fletcher, who had four in Weeks 12-15 of the 1975 season.

 

The Chargers finished tonight’s game with six interceptions, tying the team high for a game…it’s now been done six times in team history, but not in almost 32 years…the last time it happened was Nov. 30, 1975 at Denver…Peyton Manning’s six interceptions were a career high.

 

Manning did throw two touchdown passes tonight…his first was the 290th of his career, tying him with Johnny Unitas for sixth all-time in NFL history…his second was the 291st of his career moving him into a tie with Warren Moon for fifth all-time.

 

Manning attempted 56 passes in tonight’s game, tied for the fourth-most passes in a game by a Chargers’ opponent in team history…Cincinnati attempted 56 passes against the Chargers on Dec. 20, 1982.