Chargers get entire week off for bye

COSTA MESA, Calif. -- Head coach Anthony Lynn of the Los Angeles Chargers took to the podium on Monday as his players took off.

"These guys have been working hard, so I gave them the week off," Lynn said.

It's the Chargers' bye week and Lynn wasted little time making it just that. Smarting from another close loss, this one to the New England Patriots, 21-13, on Sunday, had left Lynn's team frazzled.

"They were in a lot of close games, had their backs against the wall, fought back and I just felt like getting away from football and being with their families is something they needed to do this week."

The coaches will be punching the clock, trying to figure out how the Chargers sit at 3-5 after losing another game by a single score. A bounce here and there -- as well as better execution everywhere -- and the team's ledger just as easily could be flipped.

But a loss to the defending champions ended a three-game winning streak on Sunday. That had come after a four-game losing skid as the Chargers continue their uneven showing.

"It's tough because we have been in every single game and we think what could have been," Lynn said. "But you can't do that. Our record is what it is: 3-5. We have to figure out a way to win the third and fourth quarters of the season."

That means while the players will have their legs up, the coaches will have their pencils out -- the ones with erasers to omit what has backfired for the Chargers.

"We'll reflect back and self-scout," Lynn said. "And we have different projects by guys trying to figure out like crazy how we can get better and how we want to move forward when the guys come back."

The Chargers will reconvene in Jacksonville on Nov. 12 against a Jaguars team that surprisingly has a share of the AFC South lead.

Now if the Chargers can just be the team that shocks everyone after their bye and in the second half.

Quarterback Philip Rivers doesn't forget the first half included an 0-4 record.

"I said if we can somehow get to 3-5 at the bye, we'll be in the hunt," he said. "And we did that."

--Lynn was emphatic on Monday that officials got a pick penalty call wrong that wiped out a Travis Benjamin touchdown. "Bad call," he said. "But they are human, too."

Tyrell Williams was the culprit.

"I was avoiding him and he went into me," said Williams, after the offensive pass interference was called.

--Running back Melvin Gordon tied Paul Lowe's team mark for the longest run with an 87-yard touchdown run on Sunday. Gordon, who has been battling some foot and shoulder injuries, just did outlast the defenders for the score.

"I couldn't change gears," a gassed Gordon said. "I felt like I had King Kong on my back."

--Travis Benjamin went from being the AFC special teams player of the week to making one of the biggest special teams miscues in recent history. Benjamin, who had returned a punt for a score the week before, fielded one around the New England 11, dropped it, recovered it and retreated into the end zone where he was tackled for a safety.

"He knows it was a bad decision," Lynn said. "It was a complete lack of awareness on his part."

--The Chargers expect to get a boost with the return of inside linebacker Denzel Perryman when the team resumes play. Perryman is one of the unit's best run-stuffers, but he missed the first half with an ankle injury.

"I don't see any reason why he wouldn't be able to go," Lynn said.

--Defensive end Joey Bosa had a sack on Sunday, the 19th of his career. That's the most by any player in his first 20 games.

NOTES: RT Joe Barksdale (toe) wasn't able to play on Sunday. The bye comes at a good time for him. ... ILB Denzel Perryman (ankle) is expected to play when the Chargers return against Jacksonville on Nov. 12. ... RG Kenny Wiggins drew praise from head coach Anthony Lynn for his play through eight games. ... LG Dan Feeney did OK, according to head coach Anthony Lynn, in his first NFL start. Feeney, a rookie, replaced Matt Slauson (biceps) after he suffered a season-ending injury. ... RB Branden Oliver was active on Sunday, one week after being a healthy scratch. Oliver had 3 yards on three carries.

REPORT CARD VS. PATRIOTS

--PASSING OFFENSE: B -- It's a rare game that Philip Rivers heaves it 30 times and doesn't reach 220 yards passing. The Chargers had too many drops and penalties on big plays as Rivers added to the deficiencies with an interception and losing some 20 yards with a self-induced fumble. Travis Benjamin had a TD catch and also failed to find the sideline with precious seconds ticking away on the final drive. Only one sack allowed.

--RUSHING OFFENSE: B -- The Chargers are still having trouble running the ball, although their total of 157 might say otherwise. But 87 of those came on one carry thanks to Melvin Gordon and it was good for a touchdown. Otherwise, it was some tough sledding for a unit that started a rookie at left guard in Dan Feeney and backup Michael Schofield at right tackle. But other than that, the Chargers continue to be challenged on the ground.

--PASS DEFENSE: B -- Joey Bosa continues to live in other teams' backfields and he gets to add Tom Brady to his list of those he's sacked. Although Melvin Ingram's name was seldom heard, Darius Philon got a sack and a big deflected pass. Giving up one TD pass and 333 yards to Brady can lead to a win but shoddy tackling on the back end derailed those aspirations.

--RUSH DEFENSE: C -- The Chargers kept someone under 100 yards and that in itself is worth celebrating. Although it was just 3 yards shy of the century mark, so let's not go overboard. Again tackling was an issue for the Chargers and that goes for all three layers of the unit. Adrian Phillips had a game-high 12 tackles, but he is going to need some help.

--SPECIAL TEAMS: F -- It will be a surprise if Travis Benjamin's punt return isn't on every NFL blooper video for years to come. He caught a ball he shouldn't have, dropped it, picked it up and headed straight for his end zone. He was tackled for a safety, part of a five-point swing after the Chargers had to return the ball to the Patriots, who went in for a field goal. Players ran into each other on fair catches and Nick Novak wasn't close on a 51-yard field-goal attempt. Offside on a kickoff and coverages were horrible.

--COACHING: D -- Some odd play-calling that had Philip Rivers frustrated illustrated the up-and-down day for head coach Anthony Lynn. He went for a 51-yard field goal that Nick Novak had no shot at making. He could have gone for it on fourth-and-1 at the New England 33. Twice the Chargers were called for too many men on the field, which is two times too many. Short-yardage calls continue to mystify the staff and the special teams again lead the world in mistakes. Too much sloppy football presented by the rookie coach to knock off a world champion at home.