"Antonio Gates was on the field but essentially a decoy for all but eight of the Chargers' first 60 offensive snaps.

He played all but one of their final 10 snaps and made four catches for 50 yards, the first of the catches being a four-yard touchdown.

"I was still a decoy, man," Gates said with a smile, indicating how far he was from full strength due to the toe injury he suffered the previous week at St. Louis. "I tried to do what I can, and obviously when you are playing a really good team, it is hard not to be 100-percent and play well. I think for a minute they got lost in coverage, and I was able to make some plays."

Gates, who did not practice during the week, received a pregame painkilling injection which made playing tolerable but not easy.

"It wasn't 100 percent," he said. "I wasn't myself. But, you know, some times you go out to set an example. You go out and try to do whatever you can. It might not take 100 yards to win a football game. It might just take you being out there, and that is what I was trying to implement today."

He might not have felt like himself, but his day was somewhat historic, which is becoming somewhat regular for him."