The Chargers saw another key offensive player go down when running back Danny Woodhead hurt his knee, but it hasn’t stopped them from building a big lead over the Jaguars.
San Diego scored three first-half touchdowns and forced three Jaguars turnovers on their way to a 21-0 lead. They led the Chiefs 21-3 at halftime last week before losing 33-27 in overtime as the Chiefs came charging back.
The final turnover came when cornerback Casey Hayward picked off Blake Bortles on a throw to the end zone that represented Jacksonville’s best scoring opportunity of the first half. They got the ball when Yannick Ngakoue stripped Philip Rivers on a sack and Bortles got them into San Diego territory before his latest miscue.
Bortles was picked by Hayward on a tipped ball earlier in the game and lost a fumble on a Melvin Ingram sack in the second quarter. He’s 12-of-16 for 128 yards and T.J. Yeldon has run for 25 yards in a disappointing offensive performance for the Jags, who also saw Jason Myers miss a 54-yard field goal.
Rivers is 12-of-15 for 114 yards and two touchdowns. One went to Travis Benjamin, who has a team-high 69 yards with Keenan Allen out of the lineup, and the other went to Antonio Gates for the 105th score of his career. Melvin Gordon has run for 56 yards and a touchdown, which eases the pain caused by the loss of Woodhead.
Now they all just need to keep it going so that blowing leads remains a one-week phenomenon.