SAN DIEGO -- If this is the Chargers' final season in San Diego, their last opening act was beauty.

The Chargers roared back from an 18-point deficit against the Detroit Lions and prevailed 33-28 on Sunday at Qualcomm Stadium.

"It was a tale of two halves,'' Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers said. "We couldn't be much worst in that first half.''

The second half was vintage Chargers, and if they do move to Los Angeles, they're leaving behind some fond memories.

Danny Woodhead's 1-yard touchdown run late in the fourth quarter secured the victory in the season opener for both teams.

Rivers threw for 404 yards and two touchdowns, completing 35 of 42 passes. He was intercepted twice while throwing for 400 yards for the seventh time in his career.

San Diego wide receiver Keenan Allen tied Kellen Winslow's franchise record set in 1984 with 15 receptions for 166 yards.

"You are playing fast but at the same time you understand what is going on,'' Allen said. "You know Philip is looking for me so that makes it slow.''

The Chargers scored 30 straight points to take the lead with 2:37 remaining.

"We felt like we had them on the ropes and they were not going to stop us unless we just didn't execute,'' said Rivers, who tied Dan Fouts' club mark with his 254th touchdown pass. "That was what we felt out there and we were able to keep it rolling.''

Trailing 21-3 in the second quarter, San Diego began its charge when Woodhead took advantage of a jumbo offensive line package when backup tackle Chris Hairston was inserted as a tight end and lined up outside of left tackle King Dunlap. Woodhead scooted in for a 9-yard scoring run.

The Chargers advanced to the Detroit 19 in the closing seconds of the first half, but Rivers tried to hit wide receiver Malcom Floyd and the pass was intercepted by cornerback Darius Slay.

"We got off to a good start, but weren't able to sustain it,'' Lions coach Jim Caldwell said. "They were pretty red hot in the second half.''

San Diego's opening drive of the third quarter stalled on the Detroit 7, and rookie kicker Josh Lambo booted a 25-yard field goal, pulling the Chargers to within 21-13.

The Chargers crawled to within 21-20 when Rivers threw his first touchdown pass in the third quarter, clicking with wide receiver Stevie Johnson from 12 yards. It was set up by a turnover by Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford.

"When you come out in the third quarter you can't turn the ball over twice and not score any points,'' Stafford said. "That's tough. We have to deal with it better right there.''

Tight end Ladarius Green's 13-yard, fourth-quarter touchdown catch from Rivers put the Chargers ahead 27-21, but Lambo missed the extra point try.

Lions running back Theo Riddick caught a 21-yard touchdown pass from Stafford with about a minute left to close the scoring. Stafford finished 19 of 30 for 246 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions.

The Lions scored in the first quarter on rookie running back Ameer Abdullah's 24-yard run for a 7-0 lead.

The Chargers cut the deficit to 7-3 when Lambo converted a 32-yard field goal late in the first quarter.

Rivers tried to force a third-and-1 pass to Allen in traffic in the second quarter, and the ball, thrown behind the receiver, ricocheted and was picked off by safety Glover Quin, who sprinted in for a 31-yard touchdown, pushing Detroit's lead to 14-3.

In the second quarter, Lions tight end Eric Ebron caught an 18-yard touchdown pass from Stafford, extending Detroit's lead to 21-3.

But while the Chargers were down, they weren't buried.

"It was a great team win,'' Rivers said. "A trait of our team over the last decade has always been that we are going to fight. We are going to fight until the end of the game. That is kind of the mantra today when we dug the hole: just keep fighting. No one thought about panicking and we were able to get it done.''

NOTES: Chargers icon Junior Seau was honored before the game with his Hall of Fame banner unveiled above Qualcomm Stadium. Seau's daughter, Sydney, spoke on the late Seau's behalf. ... Chargers WR Malcom Floyd, who is retiring at the end of the season, surpassed 5,000 career receiving yards. ... San Diego OLB Jerry Attaochu was unable to go with a hamstring injury. Attaochu is expected to be a key part of the Chargers' pass rush. ... The Lions were without OLB DeAndre Levy (hip), their leading tackler last year. ... The Lions' season-opening, two-game road trip continues next week at Minnesota.