Philip Rivers has routinely led the Chargers to victory throughout his Hall of Fame worthy career.
In fact, there have been several occasions when he single-handedly snatched victory from the jaws of defeat.
Unfortunately, Sunday's loss was the exact opposite, which is why number 17 didn't mince words about his performance. The early picks put the Bolts immediately behind the eight ball, and Rivers and company couldn't muster much offense the rest of the way as L.A. fell 24-10 to the Kansas City Chiefs.
"I had a rough day," he simply said. "One (interception) really, (Marcus Peters) fell off his man in man coverage, but the other two were terrible throws and poor decisions. The second one (to Peters) was not a good throw. I missed (Antonio) Gates, but not so much a bad decision. I really was just never in any kind of groove the whole day. Shoot, anytime a quarterback plays that poorly, it is going to be tough to win."
Rivers tossed three first half interceptions against the Chiefs, including one on each of the Bolts' first two drives. Each pick resulted in points, with the first two ending with Kansas City TDs that put the Chargers in a quick 14-0 hole.
"Shoot, last week it wasn't about four balls that hit the ground besides throwaways. This week, I didn't have a completion until (four minutes left) in the first quarter. I had more completions to the other team than our team (to start). It was just bad. There was just really nothing. I think you hope you avoid days like this all year long, but if you have them, learn from them and go and not overreact."
Along with those three interceptions, Rivers completed just 20 of 40 attempts for 237 yards, resulting in a 37.2 passer rating.
"You hate being the guy who messed up the group, but you've got to keep going… Just a bad day to have a bad day."
While Rivers placed the loss on his shoulders, there is no doubt inside the locker room that the quarterback will bounce back. After all, they've been in his same shoes where they've had a bad game despite their best efforts.
"We've all been there before," said Russell Okung. "I've definitely been there before where I'm trying my hardest, and things just aren't falling my way. Look, Philip is one of the greatest to ever play the game. There is no doubt in my mind that he is going to shake back from this. He is going to push himself harder than ever before, because that is what he does. He'll shake back, but it's one day at a time for us. We are going to have to build this house up one brick at a time."
"He's had one (interception) before today, so that hasn't been a concern of mine," said Head Coach Anthony Lynn. "I don't think it will be a pattern…one throw I think was tipped, and the others were just bad throws. A quarterback is allowed to have a couple bad throws or bad plays. That's going to happen over the course of a season. But as an offense, we have to be able to overcome."
