The San Diego Chargers went into Thursday Night Football in Week 6 against the Denver Broncos with a 1-4 record and a 10-game losing streak against AFC West opponents. They had blown second-half leads in every loss this season. Yet the Chargers got the win this time, taking down their rivals, 21-13. Philip Rivers has been sharp this season despite the losses, and Thursday night was no exception.
Philip Rivers finally got some help from the Chargers
Until Thursday night, Rivers’ quietly great season had been overshadowed by his team’s heartbreaking losses.
Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports
Jeanna Kelley has been covering the Falcons for The Falcoholic since 2011 and the NFL for SB Nation since 2015.
Early in Thursday’s win, Rivers established a franchise high mark for passing yards. Rivers supplanted Chargers great Dan Fouts, who finished his career in San Diego with 43,040 passing yards over 15 seasons. Rivers’ career total is now 43,094.
“This one was definitely special,” Rivers said after the win. “I think even making it more special was wearing the [throwback Color Rush] uniforms we had.”
On Thursday night, Rivers was dealing against the Broncos early, going 10 of 12 for 119 yards and a touchdown in the first quarter. Rivers didn’t keep up that pace all game and finished the day with 178 yards and a touchdown.
But this time, he got a little help from his teammates. Melvin Gordon rushed for 94 yards, rookie tight end Hunter Henry grabbed six catches for 83 yards, and the defense put up a strong effort for most of the night. On a drive late in the game, the Chargers buckled down and came up with key back-to-back plays: first they sacked Broncos quarterback Trevor Siemian, then they recovered a Demaryius Thomas fumble.
Rivers and the offense followed the same game plan as the Atlanta Falcons in Week 5, using short and intermediate passes to slow down the Broncos’ pass rush. Von Miller, who has sacked Rivers more times than he has sacked any other quarterback, was limited to one. The Denver defense as a whole, which has been statistically one of the most fearsome in the league, sacked Rivers just twice all night.
Rivers has played well throughout the season, just not quite well enough to overcome his teammates’ mistakes, a rash of injuries to the Chargers’ playmakers, and the team’s tendency to squander leads. Rivers still puts the onus on himself to make the plays to win games.
“I can look at it honestly,” Rivers said, via Tom Krasovic of the San Diego Union-Tribune. “So, I can go: ‘Yeah, I’m playing all right, but I’m not playing good enough until we walk off winning.’”
The losses to the Chiefs and Saints, which came late in the respective games after the Chargers carried a lead well into the fourth quarter, were particularly painful for Rivers.
“We’re sitting here 3-2 right now, we’re going, ‘Hey, we win this game over Denver, we’re tied for the top almost,’” Rivers said. “So, that’s what’s tough about it. But at the same time, you just carry on. Because you never know.”
The loss to Kansas City was just by six points, and Rivers completed 69.4 percent of his passes for 243 yards and a touchdown. The New Orleans loss saw Rivers throw for 321 yards, two touchdowns and an interception.
So far this season, Rivers’ performance has him ranked fourth in the league in quarterback rating, while the Chargers are behind only the Falcons in scoring at 28.8 points per game.
It’s not Rivers’ fault the Chargers have been losing. The team, and particularly Rivers, are making enough plays to win. After finally getting the late-game lead monkey off their back, the Chargers may be able to pull it together heading into the rest of the season.
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