In the first quarter, Philip Rivers looked like the same version who has confounded Chargers fans and sports analysts all season long. His two interceptions to Derrick Johnson and Kendrick Lewis (and another dropped one by Brandon Flowers) signaled the same problems that hurt the Chargers so much in the New York Jets loss just two Sundays ago. Then came the next two quarters where Rivers looked like a new (old) man. Finally, the fumble heard round the world happened at the end of the game and the loss to the Chiefs was pinned squarely on the team’s quarterback.
Such is life for Rivers at this point and last night Rivers himself said he’s having the “”http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/773387/rivers_medium.gif" target="new">worst day ever." Still it goes beyond that. It’s his worst season ever and he’s lucky the Chargers are still where they are in the division.
Bill Williamson of ESPN wonders who the real Philip Rivers is at this point. He writes, “The painful realty for San Diego is Rivers was playing his best football of an uneven 2011 season for much of Monday night’s game. After two first-quarter interceptions continued his worst start since taking over in San Diego in 2006, Rivers became his old self in the second quarter… Had Rivers (who leads the NFL with 11 interceptions and 14 turnovers) taken the snap from center cleanly, the NFL headlines Tuesday would have been all about how he got over the hump. Now, his problems are more dramatic than at any point this season.”
Yes, more than any of the other 13 turnovers in Rivers’ stat column, the Halloween fumble is going to be the thing that everyone remembers at this point. You’d think the Chargers were 0-7 by the sound of the furor around him, so luckily he can still find his moxie and keep the Chargers in first place. The Chargers certainly hope that’s the case.