The similarities were too eerie to go unnoticed.
Up 21-0 at halftime. The offense dominating despite an injury to one of their key playmakers. The defense pitching a shutout and getting big stops.
It's no wonder that to a man, the team flashed back to last week when they were in the exact same situation.
Head Coach Mike McCoy entered the locker room and gave the team a one-word message.
"Finish."
Boy, did they ever.
The defense did their part by forcing a quick three-and-out, and on their third play from scrimmage, Philip Rivers found Tyrell Williams crossing over the middle as the wide receiver sprinted 44-yards to the house for a 28-0 lead.
When all was said and done, the San Diego Chargers ran away with a 38-14 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars in a win many said was a statement game for the Bolts. Rivers said he was happy to see the team in the exact same situation as last week so they would know right away what type of team they have.
"It was huge," he said. "I'm happy that it happened again right away. Now we can just get that out of our mind, being up 21 and what are we going to do next time? I'm glad it happened the very next week. And it was the same, too. We saw Keenan (Allen) go down right before the half. Then all of a sudden now it's Danny (Woodhead) right before the half. It was eerily similar of last week and with the way we were playing… At halftime we were like, 'Well here we are again, up 21. Let's make sure the outcome is a little different.'"
In the midst of his 14th season, Antonio Gates has more experience than any player on the Bolts. He too said he learned a lot about the 2016 Chargers.
"In a season you always go through adversity," he said. "It is always a true test on what you are made of, especially after the loss we had the past week. You can't say enough about the preparation that was put in throughout the week. That is where it starts; in preparation and obviously translating to Sunday. We were able to do that this week… Finishing is a big focal point of what we are trying to accomplish this season and it starts with this game and hopefully it will carry over to the next game."
McCoy admitted he had more than a few sleepless nights after the way the Bolts gave away the season opener. The head coach couldn't be prouder of his team's resiliency. Seven standout quarters through the first two weeks has also buoyed his confidence. Now it's about stacking wins together.
"I had a really good feeling coming into Saturday's meetings and walkthroughs that morning that the mindset and attitude our team had (put last week) long behind us," he said. "Give the leaders on this team a lot of credit for rallying the guys… The players came out and executed (well. Today was) very similar to the first three quarters of last week. That's phenomenal football for our team. This is the way we need to play consistently for four quarters."
