It’s been a bad year on the injury front for the Chargers, and more injuries piled up today in Jacksonville. But the good news for San Diego is this: They were playing at Jacksonville today.
And playing in Jacksonville is as easy as road trips get in the NFL, so the Chargers cruised to an easy 24-6 win on a day when they would have struggled to beat a lot of teams. The win improved the Chargers’ record to 4-3, while the terrible Jaguars drop to 0-7.
But while the Chargers can be happy with the win, they can’t be happy with losing starting left tackle King Dunlap to a concussion. This was his second concussion of the season, so there’s a good chance he’s going to miss more time before doctors clear him to return to the field. Dunlap was replaced today by backup Mike Remmers, who promptly suffered an ankle injury.
Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers and running back Ryan Mathews deserve a lot of credit for playing well behind a patchwork offensive line. Rivers completed 22 of 26 passes for 285 yards, with a touchdown and no interceptions. Mathews carried 21 times for 110 yards and a touchdown.
Jacksonville quarterback Chad Henne continued to show he’s a better option than Blaine Gabbert, completing 23 of 36 passes for 318 yards, but the Jaguars’ problems go a lot deeper than quarterback. This team is lousy in all phases of the game. It’s tough to figure out when they’re going to win one. Even the depleted Chargers beat them easily.