MEXICO CITY — The Los Angeles Chargers viewed their prime-time matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs as a must-win to have any chance at reaching the postseason.
After a 24-17 loss to the Chiefs at Aztec Stadium on Monday night, the 4-7 Chargers can now turn their attention toward next season heading into the bye week.
The looming question for the Chargers: What will happen with Philip Rivers, who turns 38 in December and is in the final year of his contract?
Rivers once again struggled to take care of the football, finishing with four interceptions to match his career high. His last such game was in 2016, Week 10 against the Dolphins.
According to ESPN Stats & Information research, Rivers is the first Chargers quarterback to throw at least three interceptions in back-to-back games since Erik Kramer in 1999.
Rivers now has 13 interceptions and 15 turnovers on the year. The last time Rivers had that many turnovers in a season was 2016.
Troubling trend: The Chargers gained 312 yards in the first half but failed to score an offensive touchdown. The only other team to record over 300 yards in a half without scoring a touchdown this season was the Jacksonville Jaguars against the Cincinnati Bengals in the first half of Week 7. According to Elias, the Chargers’ 203-yard advantage over the Chiefs is the largest halftime yards differential by a team trailing at the half since 1981 (the Redskins outgained the Eagles by 210 yards but trailed 7-6).
Troubling trend II: The Chargers have lost five straight games on Monday Night Football; the only teams in the NFL with active losing streaks on Monday Night Football that long are the Redskins (8) and Bengals (5).
Promising trend: Offensively, running backs Austin Ekeler and Melvin Gordon powered the Chargers, finishing with a combined 222 yards from scrimmage. Ekeler led the Chargers with eight receptions for 108 receiving yards and also added another 24 on the ground, eclipsing the 1,000-yard mark for the first time. Ekeler now has 1,010 yards from scrimmage on the year. Gordon finished with a game-high 69 rushing yards on 14 carries.