The San Diego Chargers got their first win of the season routing the Jacksonville Jaguars 38-14. Philip Rivers put up four touchdowns on the day and the Bolts defense held the Jaguars scoreless through the first three quarters.
Game Balls
Offense – Travis Benjamin: With Keenan Allen out, Benjamin proved he could be the speedy threat at WR that the Chargers hoped he would be when they signed him. On Sunday, Benjamin had six receptions for 115 yards and two touchdowns. The final touchdown was an impressive 45-yarder with Benjamin wrestling Jags cornerback Davon House in the end zone for possession and the score.
Defense – Casey Hayward: Much like Benjamin, it can be hard for a free agent to come in and make an immediate impact. But on Sunday, Hayward made it look easy. Hayward had two picks which was the most for a Chargers defender in a first half since Eric Weddle in 2011. He additionally finished the game with three total tackles and two passes defensed.
Unsung Hero – Melvin Gordon: While Gordon's performance will be known for his stats and touchdown, he's unsung for the workload he had to carry after Danny Woodhead went down. Gordon continued his strong rushing attack with a career high 24 carries for 102 yards and the score.
Stat of the Game
Melvin Gordon's 102-yard day was not only the first 100-yard game of his career, but the first for a Chargers back since Ryan Mathews in 2014.
Play of the Game
On 2nd-and-8, Rivers lobbed a long pass downfield where Travis Benjamin caught it in the end zone over the Jaguars defender for the touchdown. The 45-yard score brought the game to 35-0.
Turning Point
In the second quarter, Blake Bortles was looking for Rashad Greene deep downfield. After throwing a deep pass in his direction, Casey Hayward stepped in front of the receiver to make a pick at the goal line and returned it 31 yards.
It Was Over When
Tyrell Williams took a short pass from Rivers across midfield up the right sideline. Once Williams got to the five-yard line, he dragged Jaguars defenders with him into the end zone for the score.
Bolt Quotebook
"Give the players and coaches a ton of credit after the week (with) what we went through last week. The way they responded and the way they bounced back…. Give the leaders on this team a lot of credit for rallying the guys and the coaches for putting phenomenal plans together like they do every week." – Head Coach Mike McCoy
"We ran the ball well (and) the guys up front did awesome. (The Jaguars) got us on one pressure on the one sack but the protection was great. We found ourselves at halftime again up 21 just like last week, (but) we were able to go out and finish it." – QB Philip Rivers
"When you're comfortable, it gives you confidence. And when you have confidence, it shows. It shows out there in your play and I think in the league, it's all about confidence." – RB Melvin Gordon
"I think last week when Keenan went down, it hurt the team. But this week when Danny went down, I felt like everyone focused. Somebody's down but we still have to play this game and I think we did a better job doing that this week." – CB Casey Hayward
Odds and Ends
Philip Rivers tied his career high with four touchdown passes today. It was his eight-career four-touchdown game and his first since Nov. 29, 2015 at Jacksonville. In addition, he went over 3,500 career completions on the day.
Travis Benjamin had his first 100-yard game as a Charger today and he tied his career high with two touchdown catches. It was his third-career two-TD game. His last was Sept. 20, 2015 for Cleveland vs. Tennessee.
Dwight Lowery led all defenders with eight total tackles. In addition, Melvin Ingram had two sacks and one forced fumble.
Matt Slauson served as an honorary captain.
Inactives for the Chargers included S Adrian Phillips, RB Andre Williams, C Max Tuerk, T Tyreek Burwell, G-T Kenny Wiggins, NT Ryan Carrethers and DE Joey Bosa.
