GREEN BAY, Wis. -- The San Diego Chargers went toe-to-toe on the road with one of the best teams in the NFL on Sunday against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field.
Quarterback Philip Rivers was the reason they did. He set franchise records for completions (43), attempts (65) and passing yards (503). He threw two touchdown passes and didn’t throw an interception in the Chargers' 27-20 loss to the Packers.
Missing three starting offensive linemen and the team’s defensive playcaller, Manti Te'o, the Chargers dropped to 2-4. San Diego returns home to face its first AFC West division opponent, with the Oakland Raiders (2-3) traveling to Qualcomm Stadium on Oct. 25 off a bye week.
The Broncos (6-0) stayed undefeated and atop the AFC West division with a 26-23 overtime win over the Cleveland Browns. The Kansas City Chiefs, losers of five straight, are 1-5.
The Packers improved to 10-1 all-time against the Chargers. The most recent time San Diego defeated the Packers was in 1984 in Green Bay.
One reason to be excited: San Diego’s makeshift offensive line only allowed three sacks on 65 passing attempts by Rivers.
Perryman a thumper: Rookie Denzel Perryman made his presence felt in his first career start. He leveled Green Bay running back Eddie Lacy with a bone-jarring hit and forced a fumble with San Diego trailing 24-20 early in the fourth quarter. However, the Chargers failed to come up with the football, with Packers’ offensive lineman T.J. Lang recovering.
Fantasy watch: Keenan Allen finished with 14 receptions for 157 yards before leaving the game in the fourth quarter with a hip injury. He totaled 11 catches for 128 yards in the first half, both first-half career highs.
Ouch: Rookie Melvin Gordon suffered a lower leg injury in the first half and returned to the game for a series, but he did not play in the second half. Punter Mike Scifres suffered a leg injury after having a player blocked into him, but he returned to the game. Allen suffered a hip injury in the second half and had to go to the locker room. Allen returned to the game but left the field in the fourth quarter. Jahleel Addae suffered a back injury in the fourth quarter and did not return.