(Sports Network) - Philip Rivers threw for 250 yards and three touchdowns, and the San Diego Chargers picked up their first win of the season, 48-29 over the New York Jets. Rivers completed 19-of-25 passes and had all of his scoring tosses in the first half for the Chargers (1-2), who also got 67 rushing yards and a pair of TDs from LaDainian Tomlinson. Tomlinson, recovering from a jammed right big toe that forced him to miss most of last week's 39-38 loss at Denver, carried the ball 26 times.

"For us to get this first win, it was a sigh of relief," said Tomlinson. "Sometimes you need that confidence to start back building. I think we got it tonight."

San Diego's Antonio Cromartie had a pair of interceptions, returning one 52 yards for a touchdown as the Chargers took advantage of three first-half turnovers to grab a sizeable lead.

Brett Favre connected on 30-of-42 passes for 271 yards with three scores and two interceptions for the Jets (1-2), who were coming off a 19-10 home loss to New England. Jerricho Cotchery had 10 catches for 76 yards.

"They were very active defensively," said Favre of the Chargers. "They disrupted us a little bit protection-wise. I thought their scheme was very good."

David Barrett picked off Rivers and returned it 25 yards for the game's first touchdown for the Jets, but New York stumbled by allowing 31 points in the opening half, falling behind by 17 at the break.

It was another powerful performance from Rivers, who has nine TD passes this season to lead the NFL.

Down 7-3, the Chargers capitalized on New York's first turnover. Thomas Jones fumbled the ball away, giving the Chargers possession at the Jets 16. Five plays later, Rivers found Mike Tolbert from a yard out on the right side of the field with 2:03 left in the quarter.

"When you get turnovers obviously you get great field position," said Chargers head coach Norv Turner. "We have playmakers on the offense. When you get great field position like that we usually find a way to turn them into points."

On the first play of the second quarter, Cromartie tipped a ball intended for Laveranues Coles, came up with the interception and rumbled down the sideline to the end zone.

Leon Washington returned the ensuing kickoff 94 yards, and two plays later Coles was in the end zone courtesy of a three-yard TD pass from Favre.

The Chargers, though, pulled away after that, helped when the Jets failed to recover the ball following an onsides kick. Rivers threw 27 yards down the middle to a wide open Chris Chambers in the end zone with 11:17 left in the half.

"We can't play this way," said Jets head coach Eric Mangini. "We can't have the turnovers, one for a touchdown, another one that sets up really good field position, another one that put it in positive territory."

Favre was then picked off by Eric Weddle, and Rivers threw six yards to Antonio Gates in the right corner of the end zone for a 31-14 margin with 3:17 remaining in the second quarter.

Tomlinson finished off a seven-play, 79-yard drive at the start of the third with a two-yard TD run.

Favre then failed on a fourth down pass from the Chargers nine, before the teams combined for 25 points in the last quarter.

Favre threw a four-yard TD pass to Chansi Stuckey, but the Jets failed on the two-point conversion.

New York then recovered an onsides kick, leading to Jay Feely's 32-yard field goal, but a 60-yard pass from Rivers to Vincent Jackson helped set up Tomlinson's two-yard TD run with 3:55 left, putting the game out of reach at 45-23.

Favre threw 13 yards for a score to Dustin Keller, but San Diego got the ensuing onsides kick and Nate Kaeding booted a 49-yard field goal with 2:03 left.

Barrett stepped in the passing lane and returned the ball to the end zone less than four minutes into the game before Kaeding's 36-yard field goal had the Chargers within 7-3 with 5:40 left in the first.

Game Notes

Favre, who rolled his left ankle early in the third quarter, didn't finish the game, being lifted after San Diego built an insurmountable lead late in the fourth. Kellen Clemens finished up at QB...The Jets host Arizona on Sunday, while the Chargers are on the road against AFC West foe Oakland...San Diego holds a 19-11-1 lead in the all-time regular season series with the Jets...The 48 points were the second-most scored by the Chargers on a Monday night. They beat the Bengals 50-34 on Dec. 20, 1982...It was the most points ever allowed by the Jets on Monday night...Favre fell to 5-1 lifetime against San Diego...The Chargers were 9-of-13 on third downs, while New York was 1- of-8...The Chargers set a new single-game attendance record with 68,922.



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