SAN DIEGO -- A few thoughts on the Jacksonville Jaguars' 33-14 loss to the San Diego Chargers at Qualcomm Stadium.
What it means: Blake Bortles didn't lead the Jaguars to a victory in his first NFL start, but the rookie quarterback from Central Florida proved there's good reason to be optimistic he will do that on a regular basis at some point. Bortles was poised and confident and never got rattled, despite facing a Chargers defense that ranked 10th in the NFL on the road. Bortles threw one touchdown pass and two interceptions, including a costly one to safety Eric Weddle with less than four minutes remaining and the Jaguars driving to potentially make it a one-score game. That was his worst pass of the day because it was right at Weddle and it was an easy catch. That's one of those plays you have to live with when you play a rookie quarterback. Bortles also made two big-time plays. He scrambled out of trouble each time and kept his eyes downfield for a big gain.
Stock watch: One of the knocks on receiver Cecil Shorts III coming into the season was he is injury prone, and he has done nothing to shake that reputation. He missed the first two games with a hamstring injury, returned for the past week's home opener against Indianapolis and left Sunday's game in the third quarter with another hamstring injury. Based on his history, that's at least a two-week injury, which means Bortles will be without his only veteran receiver. Shorts is in the final year of his rookie contract and is hoping for an extension, but he has missed 13 games since he was drafted in 2011.
Air raid: Opposing quarterbacks continue to take advantage of coverage mistakes on which receivers are running wide open. Philip Rivers shredded the defense for 377 yards and three touchdowns, two of which came from more than 40 yards. It didn't help that cornerback Dwayne Gratz left the game in the second quarter with a concussion, and second-year player Demetrius McCray took his place, but Gratz has been on the field all season, and those plays were still happening. The Jaguars weren't able to get much pressure on Rivers, either, which only magnified the mistakes in the secondary. The Chargers had two receivers surpass 100 yards. It was the first time that has happened against Jacksonville since Dec. 18, 2008, when Indianapolis' Dallas Clark and Reggie Wayne accomplished the feat.
Game ball: It wasn't pretty at times, and he certainly has a lot to learn, but Bortles made the Jaguars' offense functional in a way it hasn't been under Chad Henne since the first half of the season opener. The Jaguars trailed by just three at halftime, and that was due to Bortles' completing 15 of 18 passes for 149 yards and one touchdown.
What's next: The Jaguars get a one-week break from the road and play host to Pittsburgh at 1 p.m. Sunday at sold-out EverBank Field. There will be a lot of black and gold in the stadium, though, because Steelers fans travel better than any other fan base in the NFL.
