SAN DIEGO (Ticker) -- The winless San Diego Chargers proved to be the perfect tonic for the struggling Denver Broncos.
Brian Griese tossed three touchdown passes and cornerback Terrell Buckley preserved the lead with an interception in the end zone with six minutes remaining as the Broncos snapped a two-game losing streak with a 21-7 victory over the Chargers.
Griese threw his second TD pass to Ed McCaffrey with 6:16 left in the third quarter to snap a 7-7 tie, then watched the defense do the rest as Denver (3-3) got back in the win column.
"The best part of our offensive game was that we had a balanced attack," said McCaffrey, who had a career-high 10 receptions for 71 yards. "We were able to run well and the passing game went well.
"I didn't know I had 10 receptions today in the game," he added. "I just know that we were completing a lot of passes today."
The Broncos converted the first two of Jim Harbaugh's three interceptions into a pair of touchdowns and saddled the Chargers with their first 0-6 start since 1975, when they opened with nine consecutive losses. Harbaugh completed just 18-of-43 passes for 264 yards.
"There is no question we played hard the entire game and I was especially pleased that we played well in the red zone," Denver coach Mike Shanahan said. "We did a lot of things on defense. We mixed in the blitz a lot and we had good success." After the Chargers marched from their 11 into Denver territory, a 30-yard pass interference penalty on Buckley gave San Diego a 1st-and-goal from the 5, but three plays resulted in no gain. After Harbaugh threw an incompletion on first down, Terrell Fletcher gained two yards before losing two yards on third down.
Buckley atoned for his penalty, intercepting a pass intended for Reggie Jones three yards deep in the end zone and returning it to the 30. It was his second theft of the contest.
"We had our opportunities and then we gave them their opportunties," Chargers coach Mike Riley said. "They were able to drive the ball on a short field after turnovers got two of their touchdowns."
San Diego linebacker Orlando Ruff would not criticize Riley for going for it on fourth down, instead of kicking the field goal.
"If things go right, then he's a genius," Ruff said. "If things go the wrong way, then that's a dumb call. I don't think it was a bad call. He made the call and things just didn't happen. We just didn't execute well."
After the Broncos picked up one first down, Tom Rouen's punt pinned the Chargers at their 12 with 2:15 left. Operating out of the shotgun, Harbaugh could not move the Chargers, throwing three straight incompletions.
With two timeouts remaining, Riley elected to punt. But the move backfired as Deltha O'Neal returned the punt 64 yards, setting up Griese's game-clinching 14-yard TD strike to tight end Dwayne Carswell with 1:25 to play.
Griese, who returned to the lineup in last week's loss to New England, completed 27-of-40 for 235 yards.
The two TD receptions gave McCaffrey 37 since joining the Broncos, sixth on Denver's all-time list. He also grabbed his 400th career reception.
"With San Diego's pass defense, they covered a lot of one-on-one," Shanahan said. "They did this especially on McCaffrey and Ed was able to take advantage of that."
After Griese and McCaffrey connected for a two-yard TD strike in the first quarter, the Chargers tied it on Harbaugh's 26-yard TD toss to tight end Freddie Jones with 52 seconds to go in the first half.
With Terrell Davis sitting out with an ankle injury, the Broncos rushed for 96 yards on 30 carries. Mike Anderson gained 52 yards on 13 carries while Karon Coleman added 37 yards on 14 attempts.
"It was an important win for us today," Shanahan added. "It was a division win and I was very pleased with the effort we made for the entire 60 minutes.
San Diego struggled to get a ground attack going, gaining just 65 yards on 20 attempts. Jermaine Fazande rushed for 61 yards on 14 tries.
"We can't let our spirits get down," Fazande said. "We have to continue going out there and working hard. Even though we are 0-6, I don't think we are out of it. This is the NFL, anything can happen."
The Chargers sputtered from the start as their first possession ended when DeRon Jenkins returned Harbaugh's interception 24 yards to the San Diego 17.
Denver needed six plays to go up 7-0 on Griese's TD toss to McCaffrey with 8:57 remaining in the first quarter. The Chargers had a chance to get on the board late in the second quarter, but John Carney missed a 34-yard field goal with 4:54 remaining.
However, San Diego marched 88 yards on nine plays to tie it before the intermission. Harbaugh completed passes of 34 and 12 yards to Jones to give the Chargers a first down at the Denver 20. He was sacked for a six-yard loss, but came back to hit Jones for the tying score on the next play.
Buckley's 31-yard interception return again set the Broncos up deep in Chargers territory at the 24 with 8:12 to go in the third quarter. Four plays later, Griese found McCaffrey in the end zone for a 14-7 lead.
The Broncos have won six of the last seven against the Chargers.
