Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers is preparing to use San Diego’s Week 10 bye to recharge his batteries and forget about a 2-7 start that has all but ended any chance at a playoff run.
“I’m not going to touch a football,” Rivers said, via Eric D. Williams of ESPN.com. “When you lose five in a row it’s pretty sickening. When it’s like this you kind of want to dig a hole and hide for a little while.”
The Chargers lost again on Monday night, despite jumping out to leads of 7-0 and 16-7 in the first half. San Diego also led 19-14 late in the fourth quarter, but Jay Cutler’s 25-yard touchdown pass to Zach Miller sent the Bolts to a fifth straight loss.
The five defeats have come by a combined 25 points, with no loss by more than one score.
At 2-7, the Chargers are now much closer to the top overall pick in the 2016 draft than the AFC postseason.
Injuries have played a big role. According to Williams, at least 11 starters were missing from the field by the time Monday night’s game ended. Rivers has remained healthy, but it hasn’t been enough.
Through nine games, Rivers is on pace for almost 5,400 passing yards and 34 touchdowns. He threw for 280 yards and a score against the Bears.
But close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades.
“We can make a long list of reasons, but ultimately we’ve had a chance to win all of these games,” Rivers said. “We had a chance to beat Green Bay. We had a chance to beat Baltimore and we had a chance to win this one. And we just didn’t make the plays. And there’s nothing to be embarrassed about or ashamed of. We didn’t do it.”
Rivers and the Chargers have a week off before welcoming the Kansas City Chiefs to San Diego in Week 11.