SAN DIEGO (Ticker) -- In the Brian Billick era, having a 100-yard rusher virtually guarantees a victory for the Baltimore Ravens.
One week after rushing for a single-game NFL record 295 yards, Jamal Lewis rushed for 132 yards and a touchdown as the Ravens coasted to a 24-10 victory over the winless San Diego Chargers.
Since Billick took over in 1999, the Ravens are 19-2 when producing a 100-yard rusher. They used a big ground game to beat Cleveland last week and seemed poised to do it again against the Chargers, who entered the contest with the fourth-worst run defense in the NFL.
"It was good to be able to do what we did when we knew they would be keying on us and knowing we were going to run football," Lewis said. "It shows what type of chemistry we have. We did great and it shows what type of team we have. There was nothing ugly about the game, a win is a win."
Lewis needed 182 yards to break O.J. Simpson's two-game mark of 476 yards - - 273 on November 25, 1976, and 203 on December 5, 1976. But he struggled in the first half and his fumble led to a fluke 50-yard TD by fullback Alan Ricard late in the first quarter.
In four games, Lewis has rushed for 496 yards and has four touchdowns, which is two less than he had last season and his rookie season when Baltimore (2-1) routed the New York Giants in the Super Bowl.
Lewis recorded his 12th career 100-yard game and it offset an otherwise poor day for Baltimore's offense, which was on the field for 24:48.
"You can't imagine how big a win that was," Billick said. "There's a lot of ways to win the game. Next time you guys (the media) want to shove statistics down my throat - they had 400 and some odd offensive yards and had 10 points. We had what 20 yards offense and had 24 points."
In the second half, Lewis got going and so did the Ravens' defense. After tight end Todd Heap caught a 25-yard TD for a 17-3 lead, rookie linebacker Terrell Suggs intercepted a pass by Drew Brees at the San Diego 25 and returned it 11 yards.
Two plays later, Lewis ran seven yards up the middle to extend Baltimore's lead to 24-3 with 1:24 remaining in the third quarter.
"He lived up to what we saw on film - nothing more, nothing less," San Diego safety Jerry Wilson said. "As far as I know, I didn't feel he erupted (in the second half). He might have gotten more carries and they were on the field more in the second half. I don't know how many carries he had, but it had to take a lot for him to get over the 100-yard marker."
Baltimore won its second straight after losing its season opener to Pittsburgh. San Diego (0-3), which won its first four games last season, has dropped seven in a row since beating Denver last December 1.
The game was a defensive struggle for most of the first half. Baltimore rookie quarterback Kyle Boller threw for just 41 yards in the half. The Southern California native finished 12-of-21 for 98 yards.
San Diego struggled in the red zone all day, and had to settle for a 24-yard field goal by Steve Christie. The Chargers got to the 11, but Brees was flushed out of the pocket and could only gain five yards on a third-and-goal.
"They're a good defense," said Brees, who completed 28-of-45 passes for 270 yards. "They fly around and don't miss many tackles. But at the same time, I don't feel like the Ravens' defense beat us. We moved the ball up and down the field, but we couldn't stick it in the end zone."
But their only lead did not last long. Four plays into the Ravens' ensuing drive, Lewis took a pitch from Boller, gained three yards and fumbled as he was tackled by defensive end Adrian Dingle. The ball headed towards Ricard and he rumbled towards the end zone untouched to make it 7-3 with 1:43 left in the first.
Neither team got past the red zone in the second quarter. San Diego got to the 27, but receiver David Boston was penalized for a false start and Brees' pass to LaDainian Tomlinson on 3rd-and-12 was incomplete. Christie came on to attempt a 50-yard field goal, but it sailed wide left.
Lewis gained 23 yards on Baltimore's ensuing possession and Matt Stover kicked a 49-yard field goal with five seconds remaining to give the Ravens a 10-3 advantage at halftime.
Midway through the second half, the Ravens gained possession at their own 28 and drove 72 yards. Lewis gained 25 yards and Frank Sanders had a 14-yard reception before Heap leaped over cornerback Quintin Jammer, increasing the lead to 17-3.
Tomlinson scored San Diego's lone touchdown, a two-yard run with 9:06 left in the fourth quarter. It capped a 15-play, 77-yard drive.
On their next drive, Tomlinson ran for 17 yards and caught a 13-yard pass to get the Chargers to the Baltimore 17. But on 2nd-and-10, second-year safety Ed Reed picked off Brees at the 4.
"It was just a matter of me doing my job," Reed said. "He threw it to the guy he thought was open. It was a matter of making a play and finishing the game."
