Chargers vs. Jaguars: Postgame Grades, Notes and Quotes for San Diego
They almost let it get away at the end, but the San Diego Chargers nevertheless earned a 31-25 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday.
Philip Rivers passed for 300 yards and four touchdowns. Dontrelle Inman and Stevie Johnson caught one each, while Antonio Gates hauled in two for San Diego (3-8), which snapped a six-game losing streak.
Rivers threw most of his touchdowns in the second quarter, hooking up with Inman for two yards and twice with Gates for nine and 12 yards to make it 21-9 at the half. After the teams traded field goals, Julius Thomas pulled the Jaguars within 24-19 on a 21-yard pass from Blake Bortles.
Johnson gave the Chargers some cushion, catching Rivers' fourth touchdown pass with less than five minutes remaining, but the Jaguars were able to get it back, answering with a Bortles touchdown pass to Allen Robinson after special teams recovered a blocked punt.
Fortunately for the Chargers, Johnson was able to knock the ball out of bounds on the ensuing onside kick and prevent the Jaguars from trying for the go-ahead score. Jacksonville (4-7) had its two-game winning streak snapped and suffered a fourth straight loss in meetings against San Diego.
Want to know more about the Chargers' win on Sunday? Click next.
Position Grades for Chargers
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Quarterback: A
Rivers was impressive in throwing for 300 yards and four touchdowns, and twice he was able to pick up first downs with his legs, including an eight-yard run on 4th-and-7. Respect the wheels.
Running Back: B
Melvin Gordon had arguably his best day running the ball, totaling 60 yards on 14 carries. He appeared to have better success running outside than inside, which the coaching staff should take note of when formulating next week's game plan.
Wide Receiver: A-
Johnson finally stepped up in the absence of a No. 1 receiver, catching seven passes for 92 yards and a touchdown, but he also had one drop and an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. Inman, meanwhile, had five catches for 65 yards.
Tight End: A
After being held to one catch last week against Kansas City, Gates turned in a much better performance with four catches for 53 yards and two scores. Apparently, he and Rivers are fine after exchanging words on the sideline a week ago.
Offensive Line: B-
Trevor Robinson struggled at center, giving up both of the Chargers' sacks, but pass protection was on point from the rest of the group. However, Jacksonville's defense racked up six tackles for loss, many of which came against the run.
Defensive Line: C+
Kendall Reyes had a sack and batted down a Bortles pass. And although Jacksonville's quarterback often had plenty of time to throw, he was forced to move around in the pocket and buy that extra time for himself—it wasn't given.
Linebacker: A
Denzel Perryman had a breakout game with a team-leading seven tackles. He made more plays and was on the field longer than Donald Butler, so this may be a turning point for Perryman to take over the reins as the starter. Manti Te'o also looked good, finishing with six tackles and his second career interception, which the team converted into a touchdown before the half.
Defensive Back: C
The Chargers struggled to find the right matchup for Thomas, who went off for nine catches, 116 yards and a touchdown. However, Allen Robinson and Allen Hurns, two of the most productive receivers in football this season, were held in check, with the exception of a late touchdown catch by Robinson in the fourth quarter.
Special Teams: C+
The streak is over, Chargers fans. Your team now has 33 punt return yards instead of one. Javontee Herndon ran one back for 18 yards and another for 15. Josh Lambo made good on his lone field-goal attempt of the game from 28 yards, and he didn't allow a single kickoff return to Jacksonville's special teams.
Coaching: C
Had the Chargers not recovered that onside kick and allowed Jacksonville to drive for the game-winning touchdown, we'd all be talking about how the coaching staff blew it again. Fortunately for Mike McCoy, that didn't happen, though it was close.
Rivers Becomes 17th QB in History to Reach 40,000 Career Passing Yards
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Rivers got the milestone on a 23-yard pass to Inman in the second quarter. After Sunday's game, he now has 40,166 passing yards for his career. Said Rivers, per Eric Williams of ESPN.com, "There's a lot of people that had a hand in those 40,000. That's a collective milestone."
But Rivers didn't stop there, as he also managed to reach 275 career passing touchdowns, passing Joe Montana for 12 all time and tying with Vinny Testaverde for 11th. Here's what Rivers had to say on that achievement, per Ricky Henne of Chargers.com:
"Joe Montana was on my wall. I get the chills when you say I passed him because those are names I grew up watching. Thankful is the word that keeps coming to me. I’ve had the opportunity to be out there for 155 in a row. At 3-8, there is not a lot that excites you. But winning a game and hearing names like Montana and Testaverde, that does make me smile.
"
McCoy on Perryman
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McCoy commented on the game Perryman had, saying afterward, via Chargers.com: "I can't wait to watch the film on him." The rookie led San Diego with seven tackles, six of which came via solo tackles, and he recorded another as a tackle for loss.
Perryman's reputation as a big-hitter and surefire tackler is beginning to show itself in the past few games, and he's played well enough to get more snaps at inside linebacker over Butler, who's been a shell of himself since signing a big contract extension in 2014. And with Te'o playing at a high level as well, it appears Butler is the odd man out. The future looks bright, though, with 50 and 52 manning the middle.
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Red-Zone Success
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Rivers and Co. were on fire in the red area, converting five trips into four touchdowns and a field goal. Rivers connected with Inman for a two-yard score on the first trip then hit Gates over the middle for nine yards on the second trip, and again with Gates on a perfectly placed over-the-shoulder throw for 12 yards on the third trip of the first half.
After settling for a field goal on the fourth trip, Rivers came back to throw another well-placed ball in the hands of Johnson, who did well to get both feet in bounds and hold onto the ball all the way through.
The Chargers defense also stepped up in the red zone, holding Jacksonville to three field goals and one touchdown in four trips, the latter of which came toward the end of the game when coverage was lax. The secondary gave up a lot of big plays through the air, but it held strong where it mattered in the red area.
Running Rivers
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It's not the prettiest sight in the world, and sometimes it can be mistaken for him being hurt, but Rivers' running style proved to be effective in small doses against the Jaguars. Surprisingly enough, he was the Chargers' second-leading rusher with nine yards, ahead of Danny Woodhead with eight and Donald Brown with two. And he would have had more not counting the kneel-downs to end the game.
Rivers picked up first downs with his legs on two occasions, once on 3rd-and-5 and another on 4th-and-7, which can be seen here. McCoy joked with reporters about the play in his press conference (via Chargers.com), saying "our speedster got the first down." Thankfully, this a rare deal for Rivers, but kudos to him for going for it.
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