SAN DIEGO -- Observed and heard in the locker room after the Chargers’ 33-14 victory over Jacksonville:
Chargers cornerback Brandon Flowers talked about the importance of beating a team San Diego was supposed to beat in Jacksonville. The Chargers trailed 14-10 midway through the second quarter. However, San Diego scored 23 straight points to close out the game. “Once adversity hit, we could have just folded,” Flowers said. “So it says something about this team and what we’re trying to build on to win the ones we’re supposed to win.”
Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers finished with a passer rating of 130 or better for the second straight week. Rivers' passer rating was 130.0. The past week, he had a 131.4 passer rating in a 22-10 win over Buffalo. “I’ve been saying this year in and year out -- if you protect him, give him time and let him do his thing and spread the ball around, there’s no one better in this league,” Chargers safety Eric Weddle said.
Rookie offensive lineman Chris Watt got his first regular-season playing time in the offensive line when he rotated at right guard with Johnnie Troutman. Watt said overall he felt pleased with how he played. “It went well,” Watt said. “I was really excited to get back out there and be a part of a win. I had a lot of fun out there communicating. I thought we did a good job as a whole.”
With San Diego’s run game scuffling, Rivers said the Chargers switched to the short passing game to take the place of some of the team’s runs. “Nothing’s guaranteed, but we kind of term them guaranteed completions,” Rivers said. “The ones that you know are going to come out quick and are going to be completed 90 percent of the time, those are ways to steal runs. They aren’t called runs, but they can get you that. They’re going to get you 4, 5, 6 yards, probably nothing more than that. And when you’re not running it great and a defense is going to give you those, you got take advantage of it.”
Flowers said he was impressed with the play of Jacksonville rookie quarterback Blake Bortles. In his first start, Bortles finished 29-of-37 for 253 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions. Bortles was sacked three times and posted a 81.6 passer rating. “You see how he came out moving the ball, and he was very poised. We just kind of got momentum throughout the game. Our offense started putting up points, and the defense made plays. But I watched him in college, and this guy can definitely play. He’s going to be a good quarterback in this league.”
