QB Philip Rivers (Jeff Gross/Getty)
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The San Diego Chargers didn't earn a lot of style points against the 1-8 Kansas City Chiefs, but they secured the one thing that matters -- the win. Scout.com follows up by handing out its grades from Sunday's 20-19 decision.
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PASSING OFFENSE: B-plus -- Philip Rivers continues to put up impressive numbers, and Sunday was no different, as he threw for 316 yards and two touchdowns. But he also had two interceptions -- one when his arm was struck while delivering the football -- and that can't be overlooked. Still, Rivers is playing well for the most part, and the Chargers' depth at receiver continues to be among the best in the league. Pass protection was decent, although Rivers did get sacked twice.
RUSHING OFFENSE: C-minus -- The Chargers plunged from being one of the most run-oriented attacks to wondering what has happened to this part of the game. A sore toe doesn't bother LaDainian Tomlinson anymore, but he can't run when there are too few holes. The run-blocking is still trying to find its legs, as time and again Tomlinson's room to roam was hard to find. And this against the NFL's worst run defense? That says it all, with the Chargers gaining 92 yards on the day.
PASS DEFENSE: D -- Still no interceptions in 13 straight quarters as Kansas City's Tyler Thigpen was way too comfortable in carving up the Chargers. Not only where there no picks, but just three passes were defensed despite Thigpen throwing it 41 times. The pass rush was zilch; the Chargers were awarded their first sack in three games when Thigpen ran out of bounds. The Chargers allowed third- and fourth-down conversions through the air on the Chiefs' final drive that nearly won the game. There's still much work to be done here.
RUSH DEFENSE: B-plus -- But this grade comes with a curve as the Chiefs were missing Larry Johnson and were down to Dantrell Savage running the ball -- and he only carried it 12 times for 44 yards. Only 16 carries came from the backs, as the Chiefs were content to gain their yards through the air. Jamal Williams had a good game in the middle, and the inside linebackers, Stephen Cooper and Tim Dobbins, combined for 14 tackles.
SPECIAL TEAMS: B -- The kickoff coverage allowed a 36-yard return; Antonio Cromartie brought one back 26 yards for the Chargers. P Mike Scifres had two of his three efforts downed inside the 20, and K Nate Kaeding was true on his two field-goal attempts.
COACHING: C -- The team came out with little energy -- that's why it fell behind and was booed off the field when heading for the locker room at halftime. The defense, under new coordinator Ron Rivera, looked just like the one under the fired Ted Cottrell. Coach Norv Turner deserves credit for getting his team to win a game by hanging tough, but should the Chargers really be struggling to eke out a home win against a 1-8 squad?
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