Philip Rivers’ four interceptions crush Chargers’ slim playoff hopes
MEXICO CITY — The Los Angeles Chargers viewed their prime-time matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs as a must-win to have any chance at reaching the postseason.
After a 24-17 loss to the Chiefs at Aztec Stadium on Monday night, the 4-7 Chargers can now turn their attention toward next season while heading into the bye week.
The looming question for the Chargers: What will happen with Philip Rivers, who will turn 38 in December and is in the final year of his contract?
Rivers once again struggled to take care of the football, finishing with four interceptions to match his career high. His last such game was in Week 10 of 2016, against the Miami Dolphins.
According to ESPN Stats & Information research, Rivers is the first Chargers quarterback to throw at least three interceptions in back-to-back games since Erik Kramer in 1999.
Rivers now has 13 interceptions and 15 turnovers on the year. The last time Rivers had that many turnovers in a season was 2016.
Troubling trend: The Chargers gained 312 yards in the first half but failed to score an offensive touchdown. The only other team to record more than 300 yards in a half without scoring a touchdown this season was the Jacksonville Jaguars against the Cincinnati Bengals in the first half of Week 7. According to Elias data, the Chargers’ 203-yard advantage over the Chiefs is the largest halftime yards differential by a team trailing at the half since 1981 (when the Washington Redskins outgained the Philadelphia Eagles by 210 yards but trailed 7-6).
Chris Berman and Tom Jackson recap the weekend’s games with extended highlights and analysis.
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Troubling trend II: The Chargers have lost five straight games on Monday Night Football; the only teams with active losing streaks on Monday Night Football that long are the Redskins (8) and Cincinnati Bengals (5).
Promising trend: Offensively, running backs Austin Ekeler and Melvin Gordon powered the Chargers, finishing with a combined 222 yards from scrimmage. Ekeler led the Chargers with eight receptions for 108 receiving yards and also added another 24 on the ground, eclipsing the 1,000-yard mark for the first time. Ekeler now has 1,010 yards from scrimmage on the year. Gordon finished with a game-high 69 rushing yards on 14 carries.