(Sports Network) - Matt Ryan tossed a pair of touchdown passes and Michael Turner ran for 120 yards against his old team as the surprise Atlanta Falcons gutted out a 22-16 victory over the San Diego Chargers at Qualcomm Stadium. Ryan was an efficient 17-of-23 passing for 207 yards and Turner was the workhorse with 31 carries as Atlanta (8-4) won for the fourth time in five games to keep pace in a stacked NFC South. Carolina and Tampa Bay both logged victories earlier Sunday to move to 9-3.

"That was a big win for our team today -- and we're certainly in a good position," Ryan said of the Falcons' playoff aspirations. "We've got an opportunity and we're excited about that."

Turner spent his first four NFL seasons in the enormous shadow of LaDainian Tomlinson before leaving San Diego via free agency after the 2007 campaign. The powerful 26-year-old signed with the Falcons in March for a long-awaited opportunity to be a feature back, and has proven he can handle the important role.

Philip Rivers was a pedestrian 17-of-30 passing for 149 yards while Tomlinson continued his season-long struggles, but achieved some long-term success. He gained just 24 yards on 14 carries with a TD -- the 136th of his career -- tying him with Marshall Faulk for fifth on the all-time scoring list. Tomlinson also had five receptions for 42 yards, including the 500th catch of his career.

"We knew coming in they were a good defensive football team. They got more pressure on Philip (Rivers) than I thought they would," Bolts head coach Norv Turner said.

San Diego (4-8) enters the season's stretch run with its string of two consecutive AFC West championships in serious jeopardy after suffering its fifth loss in the last six games.

With Atlanta up 15-7, the second half began with some controversy. The Falcons picked up 40 yards on 3rd-and-7 from their own 24 thanks to a pass interference call on San Diego's Eric Weddle. Atlanta gained the 23-yard-line before Ryan tossed a short pass to Brian Finneran on 3rd-and-8.

Quentin Jammer jarred the ball loose, though, and Weddle scooped it up and raced 86 yards for a score. The play was reviewed to determine possession but was ultimately upheld as a Chargers' score. Rivers' two-point conversion toss to Malcolm Floyd fell incomplete, leaving the score at 15-13.

Atlanta punted on its next turn but got the ball back when San Diego was unsuccessful on its series. Ryan orchestrated a 72-yard trek, highlighted by a 25-yard completion to Roddy White. The drive spanned the final 5:42 of the third, and on the first play of the final frame Ryan found Harry Douglas for a five-yard TD to make it a 22-13 affair.

With the fate of the Chargers' season possibly at stake, Norv Turner dialed up a fake punt after three plays netted just eight yards. Jacob Hester took a direct snap and sprinted 28 yards around the right side to Atlanta's 31. San Diego's drive bogged down again, and Nate Kaeding came on for a 43-yard boot that was blocked.

However, Turner coughed it up to his old mates on the ensuing series, and Kaeding was able to send a 28-yard field goal through the uprights for a 22-16 game with 5:15 remaining.

The Chargers defense forced a three-and-out, but the Bolts' offense returned the favor, and Atlanta called Turner's number for a pair of runs that netted a first down, allowing Ryan to kneel down for the win.

Jason Elam booted a 35-yard field goal to start things off for Atlanta, but special teams hurt them later in the quarter. The defense forced a San Diego punt on its second series, but Douglas couldn't handle the ball and the Bolts' recovered on Atlanta's 20. Four plays later, Tomlinson was celebrating a three-yard score.

Elam added a 40-yard kick with one tick left in the first quarter to get the Falcons within one, and on their first turn in the second Ryan hooked up with Justin Peelle on an 18-yard TD for a 13-7 lead.

It quickly became a 15-7 game, as Rivers was called for intentional grounding in the end zone for a safety.

The Falcons got the ball back and used most of the final eight minutes to methodically move 64 yards to the Chargers' two-yard-line. However, San Diego got a boost when the defense stopped Turner twice from the two and then twice from the one to keep it a 15-7 deficit at halftime.

Game Notes

The Falcons are 7-1 in their all-time series with San Diego and have won five straight since a Chargers road victory during the 1988 season...Atlanta was a 21-20 home winner when the teams last met, in 2004, and were 14-3 winners when they last visited San Diego in 1997...Atlanta is 4-0 all-time at San Diego...The Falcons travel to New Orleans for an important divisional tilt next Sunday before hosting NFC South co-leader Tampa Bay in Week 15...San Diego next squares off with Oakland on Thursday night...White hauled in six balls for 112 yards for Atlanta, while Peelle had three grabs for 38 yards. Douglas also totaled three grabs but for 13 yards...Floyd made five catches totaling 59 yards for San Diego.



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