SAN DIEGO -- King Dunlap chuckled, knowingly rolled his eyes and shook his head when asked the most obvious of questions minutes after his team's disappointing 23-14 loss to AFC-leading New England Patriots.
How frustrating was it for the offensive line of the San Diego Chargers to not protect Philip Rivers in a winnable game against a talented opponent with the defense playing so well?
"Obviously, we have to do better up front," San Diego's left tackle said. "If we do our job better, we put up more points and win. The defense played a hell of a game, but we didn't put up enough points to win.
"Everybody played great. We didn't do our part. We lost."
To be fair, the Chargers have played with five centers, with rookie Chris Watt starting there Sunday night.
Rivers was sacked four times and was under duress another seven by a New England defensive front that appeared to have San Diego's offensive line confused at times. Twice, Rivers had animated conversations with Watt and second-year right tackle D.J. Fluker over miscommunications with pass protections.
"We have to do a better job communicating as a whole group," Watt said. "I have to do a better job of communicating, and I didn't do that tonight. That's on me. I'll take the blame for that. I've got to get everyone on the same page. We've got to do a better job as an offensive line."
The Chargers mustered just 53 rushing yards and finished 4-of-13 on third down. San Diego totaled just 216 yards on offense, its second-lowest output of the season.
San Diego wasted an impressive effort by the defense against Tom Brady and one of the most efficient offenses in the NFL.
The Chargers held New England to 13 yards in the third quarter, forcing the Patriots to punt four straight times. The Patriots scored only one touchdown in four trips into the red zone. Entering Sunday's contest, the Patriots cashed in 66 percent of the time inside the 20-yard line, third best in the NFL.
San Diego's defense even scored a touchdown on safety Darrell Stuckey's 53-yard fumble return. Still, edge rusher Dwight Freeney acknowledged that the defense didn't do enough.
"There's games where the offense is humming and doing great, and the defense needs help," Freeney said. "That's why it's about team. You have to lift each other up, and make one more play. No excuses. We have to hold them to 13 points -- it doesn't matter who we were playing. We have to have that mentality, which we do."
Sitting at 8-5, San Diego has three games left and is in the thick of the playoff race, with the AFC West leaders Denver Broncos traveling to Qualcomm Stadium next week. The Chargers have to get more consistent play up front to have a chance to make the postseason.
Even though he had strong words for his offensive line as they left the field, Rivers is shouldering the blame.
"Shoot -- we're all accountable," Rivers said. "All of us -- the whole offense. And our offense tonight scored seven points. I think the first thing you look at is the quarterback, and I can stand here and say I didn't play up to par. That's probably pretty clear watching it."
