49ers Vs. Chargers: Vincent Jackson Scores Three Touchdowns As San Diego Wins, 34-7

San Diego wide receiever Vincent Jackson spent the evening running wild, burning the San Francisco secondary for three scores. It was the first three touchdown game of Jackson’s career. Jackson, who had a tumultuous offseason, showed off his game-breaking ability for the first time this season after dealing with suspension and injuries that kept him out of all but three games thus far.

Before tonight, Jackson had caught just two passes for 29 yards and no touchdowns. He shook the rust off quickly, however, grabbing the first pass thrown his way for 59 yards and a touchdown. Jackson went up and out-leaped the defender, coming down with the ball and breaking free to find the end zone. It was a sign of things to come and the beginning of a long night for the 49ers’ secondary.

Outside of a late, garbage-time touchdown, the San Diego defense was flawless, holding the 49ers to just 11 first downs and 192 yards of total offense. Alex Smith had trouble finding holes in the Chargers’ secondary, completing 19-29 passes for 165 yards, one touchdown and an interception. Brian Westbrook did find the end zone to avoid the shutout, finishing with 33 yards on eight carries. Josh Morgan led the San Francisco receivers by a mile, grabbing seven passes for 106 yards.

For the Chargers, Rivers was clinical, completing 19-25 passes for 273 yards and three touchdowns. Jackson was the go-to-guy, stretching the field and catching five passes for 112 yards and all three of Rivers’ touchdown passes. Ryan Mathews led San Diego on the ground, carrying the ball 17 times for 56 yards. Mike Tolbert also added a touchdown, San Diego’s only rushing score of the day.

The Chargers improved to 8-6 win the win. The 49ers fell to 5-9, still in the thick of the NFC West race. San Diego, one game back of the Kansas City Chiefs in the loss column, travels to Cincinnati to face the Bengals while San Francisco hosts division-rival St. Louis next Sunday.