SAN DIEGO: Vincent Jackson reminded the San Diego just what it missed during a contract dispute, taking a career-high three touchdown catches to help the Chargers beat the San Francisco 49ers 34-7 in the NFL Thursday. Philip Rivers surpassed 4,000 yards passing for the third straight season as the Chargers notched a win that kept them alive in the AFC West race. San Diego pulled within a half-game of AFC West leader Kansas City. San Francisco was probably the toughest test left for the Chargers, who finish with games at lowly Cincinnati and Denver. If San Diego wins both and the Chiefs lose once, the Chargers will win their fifth straight division title. The 49ers (5-9) could wind up 7-9 and in a three-way tie and still win the NFC West, the NFL's weakest division. Jackson had his first three TD grabs of the season, of 58, 11 and 21 yards. Jackson missed the first 10 games due to a contract dispute. Rivers and Jackson sat out from early in the fourth quarter and the Chargers leading 31-0. Rivers was 19 of 25 for 273 yards, giving him 4,141 for the season. He tied Hall of Famer Dan Fouts' team record set from 1979-81. Unhappy that the Chargers didn't give him a long-term deal, Jackson sat out the first seven games of the season. He then missed three more games while serving a team-imposed suspension. The move cost him some $3 million in salary. When he returned at Indianapolis on Nov. 28, he pulled a calf muscle two plays in and was out for the night and the next game. On the fourth play of the game, Rivers threw deep and the tall Jackson slowed down and reached out over Nate Clements' head to make the catch at about the 15 before outracing the cornerback into the end zone. Jackson exploited a mismatch against linebacker Takeo Spikes for an easy 11-yard catch just before halftime. Jackson pulled in a 21-yarder early in the fourth quarter, getting the ball just past the pylon. The play was upheld after a review. Mike Tolbert had a 1-yard TD run in the third quarter and Nate Kaeding kicked field goals of 25 and 39 yards. San Francisco's only score came on Brian Westbrook's 3-yard run with 4:26 left. That ended San Diego's hopes of recording consecutive shutouts for the first time in the team's 51-year history. San Francisco quarterback Alex Smith fell far short of having the happy homecoming he was hoping for. Coming off a promising return following a five-game absence, he was 19 of 29 for 165 yards with one interception and was sacked six times. Smith was playing against his hometown Chargers for the first time in the regular season.
