(My Sportsbook) - The Chargers went 4-0 with Shawne Merriman out of the lineup, but that doesn't mean they weren't happy to have him back in the fold this week.
The All-Pro outside linebacker returned from a four-game suspension for violating the league's steroid policy, and helped the Chargers hold on for a 24-21 victory in Buffalo this Sunday.
Merriman, last year's Defensive Rookie of the Year, notched a pair of sacks and forced two fumbles, both of which were recovered by the San Diego defense. Despite missing the past four games, Merriman has 10 1/2 sacks on the year and is just one-half shy of league-leader Julius Peppers of Carolina.
"It just felt great to be back out there with my teammates, chasing down the quarterback and making plays," Merriman said. "I've missed being a part of the magical ride that this team is on. It was special to get to have a hand in it today."
The "magical ride" that Merriman is referring to began back in Week 1, but really took flight in late October, when the whole steroid issue came to the forefront.
Merriman knew his final game before the suspension would be against visiting St. Louis on October 29. He posted three sacks that day to help San Diego post a 38-24 victory. It would be the first of six consecutive victories for the Chargers (10-2), who are now tied with Indianapolis and Chicago for the best record in the NFL.
Also, the final three victories during Merriman's absence came in comeback fashion. The former University of Maryland standout tried to make sure that wasn't necessary this week.
Merriman made his presence known early in Sunday's game, as he helped force an interception on the fourth play from scrimmage. He put a tremendous amount of pressure on Bills quarterback J.P. Losman, who underthrew the ball to allow cornerback Quentin Jammer to record his fourth interception of the season. The play led to a Nate Kaeding field goal and helped San Diego jump out to a 10-0 lead in the first quarter.
"We definitely didn't have to cover as long today because the ball was getting out fast," Jammer said, acknowledging Merriman's assistance. "We pressured them a lot. When that happens, the quarterback is going to throw up some errant passes and we're going to pick them off."
It's obvious the Chargers were happy to see Merriman back on the field, but the same cannot be said for the Buffalo faithful. The Bills fans booed San Diego's pass-rusher extraordinaire every time his name was spoken over the PA system. But that didn't seem to bother Merriman.
"That comes with the territory," Merriman said. "You're always going to get booed on the road. I made a mistake, and people are going to let me hear about it."
Whether you hold Merriman's transgressions against him or not, it's hard to argue that he makes an already-scary Chargers team a whole lot scarier.
WHAT ABOUT L.T.?
Merriman's return pushed Chargers running back LaDainian Tomlinson to second- fiddle status for once, but that won't last long, because L.T. is closing in on some big-time NFL records.
Tomlinson was spectacular once again this week, rushing for 178 yards and two touchdowns on 28 attempts. Sunday's performance marked the sixth straight game that L.T. posted multiple touchdowns and gave him 18 TDs during that span.
The former TCU star now has 26 touchdowns (23 rushing, 3 receiving) on the season and is just three away from breaking the NFL record of 28 set by Seattle's Shaun Alexander last year. That's the record for total TDs in a season, but Alexander's 2005 output also tied Priest Holmes (2003) for rushing TDs in a year with 27. With four games left in the regular season, Tomlinson could break both of those records.
Also, Tomlinson needs just four more TDs to break the NFL's all-time single- season scoring record of 176 points, set by Green Bay Packers halfback/placekicker Paul Hornung in 1960. Of course, Hornung needed just 12 games to achieve his feat.
His 178 yards on Sunday also pushed Tomlinson's season total to 1,324, giving L.T. at least 1,200 yards in his first six NFL campaigns. He is just the second player to do that in league history next to Eric Dickerson, who achieved the feat from 1983-89 with the Los Angeles Rams and Indianapolis Colts.
Prior to this season, Tomlinson pointed to reaching the 2,000-yard mark as one of his goals for the season. That's a long shot, but it is still within his range. L.T. needs 676 yards in his final four games, or an average of 169 yards per contest.
CHARGERS FLEX
The NFL has moved the December 17 game between the Chargers and the rival Kansas City Chiefs has been moved to 8:15 p.m. (et) as part of the flexible scheduling system.
The game will be played at Qualcomm Stadium.
UP NEXT
The Chargers will return home next Sunday for a divisional battle against the Denver Broncos.
