SAN DIEGO -- On his second and final interception of the afternoon, another ill-advised pass intended for Antonio Gates picked off by safety Rahim Moore, quarterback Philip Rivers could barely run in pursuit.
Rivers has been listed on the San Diego Chargers' injury report with a chest issue since Gates mistakenly revealed his quarterback had been dealing with a rib injury in mid-November. A back ailment was added to the injury report in addition to the chest injury this week.
But Rivers refuses to use the nagging injuries as an excuse for his recent poor play.
"It's not limiting," he said. "The opposing defenses in the last two weeks have been the biggest reason."
Facing an AFC Super Bowl contender for a second straight week in a 22-10 loss to the Denver Broncos, Rivers and San Diego's offense predictably struggled. San Diego also had to deal with the absence of the team's top running back, Ryan Mathews, who had to sit out due to an ankle injury.
Rivers finished 24-of-41 for 232 yards, one touchdown pass to Gates and two interceptions. Rivers was not sacked, so he had good protection most of the game. But even with enough time to find receivers down the field, he posted a 62.2 passer rating.
San Diego's offense scored just two touchdowns in the last eight quarters of work. Put together by offensive coordinator turned head coach Mike McCoy, the Chargers were built from an offensive mindset.
But lately the defense has been shouldering the load. San Diego's defense held two of the highest scoring offense in the league to an average of 22 points a game. But the Chargers still lost.
Rivers acknowledged what most NFL observers already knew: The Chargers cannot compete with the AFC's elite.
"We're not in their company yet," Rivers said. "We're just not. That doesn't mean I don't believe we can be, or don't believe we can beat them. I believe we can. But those are the two teams that beat us in the last two weeks.
"They're first and second in the AFC, so it's not like we've lost to the bottom of the barrel."
McCoy, former offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt and current offensive coordinator Frank Reich have been rightly praised for getting Rivers back to playing like an elite quarterback.
However, at times Rivers appears to have regressed back to some of bad habits that got him in trouble in the past.
According to ESPN Stats & Information, Rivers was 15-of-24 (62.5 percent) on throws 5 yards downfield or shorter, tied for his lowest completion percentage on short throws in a game this season. He was 9-of-17 with two interceptions on throws deeper than 5 yards downfield, averaging 6.3 yards per attempt -- almost 4 yards shy of his season average (10.1).
Rivers did not complete a pass in the first quarter (0-for-3) -- the first time since Weeks 15 and 16 of 2006.
McCoy said the Rivers is not injured or broken – it's just a matter of the entire offense doing a better job of executing.
"It's everybody," McCoy said. "Everyone's got to look at the film. We'll evaluate it. There's pluses and minuses for every player, every game. As an offense, you always want to look at the quarterback when you win and give him credit.
"When you lose, you take the blame. That's part of the business, and we've got to play better as an offense, not just one player."
The Chargers have to get things turned around quick. San Diego takes to the road for contests against the San Francisco 49ers and the Kansas City Chiefs. And the offense has to play better for the Chargers to have a chance to make the postseason for a second straight season.
"We just have to continue to fight," receiver Eddie Royal said. "It's not always going to be pretty. Playing against a good defense -- good on good -- there's going to be some tough matchups, some tough catches and physical runs.
"We just have to keep fighting."
