Antonio Gates caught three touchdowns from Rivers to lead the Chargers to a 30-21 win over the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks. San Diego held a 42:15 to 17:45 advantage in time of possession under hot weather conditions. The official game-time temperature was 94&#160;&#176;F (34&#160;&#176;C), while readings at field level read closer to 115&#160;&#176;F (46&#160;&#176;C). The Chargers had six drives of eight plays or more&#8212;including possessions of 14, 12, and 10 plays&#8212;while the Seahawks had one eight-play drive. San Diego's first possession was a 14-play drive that led to a 50-yard field goal by Nick Novak, ending the Seahawks' 20-game streak without allowing a score on the opening possession. Following a 10-play field goal drive by the Chargers in the second quarter, linebacker Kavell Conner forced a fumble on the kickoff, which led to a six-play touchdown drive; the two drives combined to keep the Seahawks offense off the field for almost nine minutes. Gates' third touchdown came after he split two defenders and made a spectacular one-handed grab to give the Chargers a 27-14 lead late in the third quarter. Rivers was 28-of-37 for 284 yards. He had thrown 65 touchdowns to Gates, the most between a quarterback and tight end in NFL history. The Chargers were 10-for-17 on third-down conversions, while the Seahawks were 3-for-8.

How many touchdowns did Gates catch?
3