The San Diego Chargers improved to 5-6 after a 21-13 win against the Houston Texans. The Bolts defense forced four turnovers on the day that helped stymie the Houston offense.
Game Balls
Offense: Dontrelle Inman. Inman had a remarkable day with six receptions for 119 yards and a touchdown. Five of number 15's six catches were good for 11 yards or more, including a 52-yard touchdown and a 25-yard reception that drew an unnecessary roughness penalty on the Texans. His 119 yards were one shy of a career high
Defense: Dwight Lowery. Lowery, who knows the Texans pretty well after playing for the AFC South rival Colts last season, made his presence known on Sunday with a forced fumble and interception. He forced a fumble on Lamar Miller in the third quarter and then, picked off Brock Osweiler with just over nine minutes left in the fourth. Lowery also finished the day with four total tackles and two passes defensed.
Unsung Hero: Damion Square. Square had big shoes to fill stepping in for Brandon Mebane and his play in Sunday's game was a seamless transition. On 1st-and-20, Square converged on Osweiler with Joey Bosa for a seven-yard sack and also had a tackle for loss. Each was the first of his career.
Stat of the Game:Philip Rivers threw for three touchdowns in back-to-back games for the first time since Weeks 7 and 8 of the 2015 season.
Play of the Game:With the Bolts trailing 7-0 midway through the second quarter, Dontrelle Inman executed a perfect stop and go on 2nd-and-8. The double move froze the defense who jumped up, leaving the wide receiver wide open for the 52-yard touchdown.
Turning Point:After catching a pass good for 11 on third down in the fourth quarter, Inman caught a pass good for 25. An unnecessary roughness penalty on the Texans tacked on yardage to the play which set the Bolts up at the Houston 12. One play later, Philip Rivers found Hunter Henry for the 12-yard touchdown and increased the Bolts' lead to 11.
It Was Over When: With three seconds left, Osweiler and the Texans offense had one more chance at a Hail Mary. Number 17 dropped back and lobbed a pass to the end zone; however, Dexter McCoil was in perfect position and picked the ball off to seal the win.
Bolt Quotebook
"This was big for us playing a division leader and sitting at 4-6. There's not wiggle room and if there is, there's not much. We knew this was a huge game and I liked our mentality all week. We had a group mentality all week long coming back from the bye and a terrible loss.... But we came back with a good mentality and we knew we were going to play a division leader. I think we were fired up about that. We had a good frame of mind and we complemented each other well on both sides of the ball." - QB Philip Rivers
"We've dealt with a lot of adversity this year, not only my injury, but tons of injuries at key positions (to) great players, Pro Bowlers (and) All-Pro players. It just shows that you have to give the coaches credit for getting us ready week-in and week-out. When we have different pieces to the puzzle, we had to move around and all contribute to get a W." - S Jahleel Addae
Odds and Ends
Despite the loss, the Texans outgained the Chargers in total yardage 353-302. They held a 114-67 advantage on the ground and a 239-235 edge through the air.
Philip Rivers finished 22 of 30 for 242 yards with three touchdowns, one interception and a 116.3 passer rating.
Tyrell Williams led all receivers with eight receptions, however Dontrelle Inman led in yardage with 119 on the day.
Korey Toomer led all defenders with 13 total tackles. The Bolts defense had one sack, three interceptions, one forced fumble and three tackles for loss on the day.
TE Sean McGrath served as an honorary captain.
Inactives for the Chargers included CB Brandon Flowers, RB Ronnie Hillman, TE Asante Cleveland, ILB Jatavis Brown, C Max Tuerk, T Tyreek Burwell and WR Geremy Davis
