SAN DIEGO – Nice job, Doug Flutie and Philip Rivers. Now give Drew Brees his job back.

Flutie and Rivers each threw a touchdown pass and the San Diego Chargers warmed up for their first playoff game in nine seasons by beating the Kansas City Chiefs 24-17 on Sunday in what was little more than an exhibition.

Having clinched the AFC West title two weeks earlier and the AFC’s No. 4 seed a week ago, the Chargers rested Pro Bowlers Brees, LaDainian Tomlinson and Antonio Gates, as well as defensive tackle Jamal Williams.

San Diego (12-4) was still too much for Kansas City (7-9), which had its four-game winning streak snapped.

Kansas City’s Tony Gonzalez set the NFL’s single-season record for tight ends with 102 catches. He broke the old record of 96 set by Ben Coates in 1994. Gonzalez’s 14 catches, for 144 yards, were a Chiefs single-game record, breaking Ed Podolak’s record of 12 set in 1973.

The Chiefs had two late scores, but Trent Green was intercepted four times.

The Chargers tied the club record for victories in a season, set in 1961 and matched in 1979. Now they’ll prepare to host the New York Jets on Saturday in a first-round playoff game scheduled for prime time.

The Jets beat the Chargers 34-28 in San Diego on Sept. 19, but that was before Brees and his teammates got it together. San Diego has won nine of 10 going into the playoffs, the only loss coming a week ago at Indianapolis, 34-31 in overtime.

Rivers, the prized rookie who’s been kept on the bench by Brees’ inspired play, threw a 13-yard touchdown pass to Malcolm Floyd midway through the fourth quarter for a 24-3 lead.

Rivers wasn’t nearly as nervous then as he was when he took over for Flutie starting the second half and the Chargers leading 17-3.

Rivers had a serious case of happy feet, and his first pass attempt was an awkward shovel pass that missed Bobby Shaw. After Michael Turner ran for 2 yards, Rivers completed his first pass, a screen to Turner that resulted in a 5-yard loss.

Rivers’ only other action this season was mop-up duty in a 26-point win over New Orleans on Nov. 7.

Rivers was 5-of-8 for 33 yards. Flutie was 13-of-22 for 199 yards.

Flutie started for the first time since Dec. 7, 2003, in a victory at Detroit. That game came at the end of a five-game stretch in which Flutie replaced the ineffective Brees. Brees finished 2003 with 15 interceptions and 11 touchdown passes, but rebounded this year with 27 TD passes and just seven interceptions.

Flutie ran for a 1-yard touchdown and threw a 10-yard scoring pass to tight end Ryan Krause, both late in the second quarter to give the Chargers a 17-3 halftime lead.

Flutie had a 30-yard scramble to open the first scoring drive and later had a 28-yard completion to Kassim Osgood.

Although Rivers was the second-string quarterback most of the season and Flutie the third-stringer, they’ll flip-flop for the playoffs.

Larry Johnson scored twice for Kansas City in the closing minutes, on a 2-yard run and on a 14-yard pass from Trent Green.

Green was 33-of-53 for 373 yards.

AP-ES-01-02-05 1934EST