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WHEW.
That was the best, or at least most exciting, San Diego Chargers game of the season and maybe of the last few seasons.
First, the good.
Philip Rivers was all this offense had today and it was nearly enough. He threw for 503 yards (yes, really), 2 touchdowns, and somehow didn't turn the ball over a single time (yes, really!). He completed two-thirds of his passes and I don't know that I could tell you who was playing offensive line for him.
Keenan Allen was amazing, catching 14 balls for 157 receiving yards before leaving the game in the third quarter with what looked like a pretty nasty groin injury. In his place, Dontrelle Inman caught a touchdown pass.
John Pagano's defense was surprisingly competent! Once they got the hang of it, anyway. On Green Bay's final six offensive possessions, they scored just 10 total points. They were the key to getting San Diego back in this one.
Now, the bad.
People are ready to call Melvin Gordon a bust. I'm not there, but many are. Today, he lead the team with 7 carries and 29 rushing yards to go with two fumbles, before leaving due to an injury (or the coach's being mad at him, one of the two).
The defense started out rough. Despite giving up 10 points in the last six drives, they gave up 17 points on the first three drives, putting the Chargers behind by double-digit points in the first quarter on the road (again).
It's one thing to go nose-to-nose with the Packers. When you lose the turnover battle, and you dig yourself a 14 points hole in the first quarter on the road before coming back to tie them in the fourth, you know why you lost the game. The San Diego Chargers played just as well as the Packers did today, they just also made more mistakes.
The good news is, if you're an optimist, this is the best the Chargers have looked all year. If they can play this way against the Raiders, Ravens, Bears, Chiefs, and Jaguars, they'll be 7-4 heading into the important part of their regular season schedule.
Come on back tomorrow and all week for recaps of the Chargers-Packers game, and previews of next Sunday's game against the Oakland Raiders.