Chargers Handle Jaguars In San Diego, 33-14
SAN DIEGO (CBSLA.com/AP) — Philip Rivers showed Blake Bortles how it's done.
Rivers threw for 377 yards and three touchdowns, two to Eddie Royal, and the San Diego Chargers turned back an early scare from Bortles and the winless Jacksonville Jaguars for a 33-14 victory Sunday.
Royal had scoring catches of 47 and 43 yards, his second straight two-touchdown game. The Chargers (3-1) extended their winning streak to three.
Passing because the Chargers' running game is nonexistent due to injuries to Ryan Mathews and Danny Woodhead, Rivers had his second three-touchdown game of the season. He went 29 of 39.
Royal had five catches for 105 yards. Keenan Allen had 10 for 135, both career highs, and Malcom Floyd had a 24-yard touchdown catch.
Bortles made his first start for the Jaguars (0-4) and played well, especially in the first half. He threw one touchdown pass, was intercepted twice and twice had Jacksonville in the lead in the first half.
It was the fifth straight game the Jaguars lost by double digits dating to last season's finale. They've been outscored 152-58 this season.
Although the Chargers looked out of sync at times, Rivers helped keep it together.
After Toby Gerhart gave Jacksonville a 7-3 lead on a 1-yard run early in the second quarter -- the Jaguars' first TD rushing since Nov. 24 -- it took Rivers and the Chargers only five plays to answer. Rivers noticed linebacker Geno Hayes covering Royal, who got wide open for a 47-yard reception to put San Diego up 10-7.
Bortles then took advantage of a breakdown in coverage when he completed a 44-yard pass to Allen Hurns, who made a tumbling catch at the Chargers 2. Bortles found Nic Jacobs in the end zone on the next play.
Two drives later, Royal found a seam in coverage on third-and-10 from the 43, hauled in Rivers' pass and outran the coverage to put the Chargers ahead 17-14 a minute before halftime.
The Jaguars turned to Bortles at halftime of a blowout loss to Indianapolis a week earlier. He was the fifth Jaguars QB to start a game during his rookie season. All five lost their first start.
The third pick overall in the May draft, Bortles was 29 of 37 for 253 yards against San Diego. He was intercepted by Brandon Flowers in the third quarter at the Jacksonville 40, setting up Nick Novak's 34-yard field goal for a 27-14 lead.
Novak finished with four field goals, and is now the all-time chargers leader in field goals.
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