SAN DIEGO -- Strong safety Frank Duncan -- conceding he 'had a little help from above' -- waited until the last second to win the game for the San Diego Chargers.
Trailing 28-23 in a topsy-turvy battle Sunday, the Detroit Lions took the ball with 50 seconds to play on their own 33 and were awarded the ball on their 49 on a pass interference call.
Lion quarterback Gary Danielson then was sacked by Leroy Jones for a 9-yard loss. He responded by completing passes of 12 yards to Billy Sims, 9 yards to Horace King and 31 yards to Fred Scott to bring the ball to the Charger 8.
On first-and-goal with seven seconds remaining,Danielson retreated for a pass and spotted the double-covered David Hill in the end zone. Duncan stepped in to grab the ball on the 1-yard line with one second left to preserve the Charger victory.
'God just blessed me with the reactions to hold on to the football,' said the two-year veteran from San Francisco State who was the Chargers' 12th round draft in 1979 and the 321st player picked that year.
'It was a great feeling,' he said.
The Lions lived up to all their advance billing in the game -- a team of ball-control (38:19 minutes of possession versus the Chargers 21:41) and a defense that led the NFL against the rush in 1980, holding the Chargers to 57 yards, 36 of them by Muncie.
'Detroit came out here with upset on their mind and played a hell of a ball game,' said Fouts, who completed 18 of 25 passes for 316 yards to become the 29th quarterback in NFL history and the seventh active player to pass for more than 20,000 yards in a career.
'Thank God for this victory,' said Fouts. 'They're a very physical team and they shut off our running game real well.'
The twice-defending AFC Champion Chargers improved their record to 2-0 while the Lions evened their mark at 1-1 in the NFC Central division.
The Chargers raced to a 7-0 lead on their first possession of the game on a 1-yard scoring dive by Muncie. Detroit cut the margin to 7-3 on an 18-yard field goal by Ed Murray.
The Lions took the lead 10-7 in the third period on an 11-yard touchdown scramble by Danielson and padded the score to 13-7 on a 37-yard Murray field goal. San Diego retook the lead 14-13 late in the third quarter on a 7-yard TD reception by Kellen Winslow.
In a frantic, seesaw fourth-quarter, Sims broke several tackles on a 12-yard TD run to give Detroit the lead 20-14. The Chargers came right back on a 1-yard scoring dive by Muncie to give a San Diego a 21-20 lead.
With less than five minutes remaining, Murray kicked a 30-yard field goal to lift the Lions to a 23-21 bulge.
The Chargers made the score 28-23 on a 2-yard TD run by John Cappelletti with 56 seconds left before Duncan made the game-preserving interception.
'It was a tough way to lose,' said Detroit coach Monte Clark. 'I am proud about the way we fought and it's a darn shame that we lost it. They (Lions) came through with the big plays and gave a heck of an effort. We have nothing to be ashamed of.
'I am not embarrassed because we fought all the way,' Clark said. 'San Diego was supposed to blow us out but we could have won this game.'
Fouts and Winslow touted wide receiver Charlie Joiner as the unsung hero the game. Joiner, a 13-year pro from Grambling, figured in all the Charger scoring drives with 166 yards on seven receptions. His longest reception was 49 yards.
'I think he's surprising some people around the leage and I think he'll continue to surprise people,' Fouts said. 'If I can get the time, I know that Charlie's going to get open.'
