It was by no means a thing of beauty. Of course, nothing usually is when playing the Oakland Raiders.
The Chargers (6-4) scrapped their way to a 13-6 victory over their division rivals Sunday at Qualcomm Stadium, ending a three-game losing streak and keeping Oakland (0-10) winless on the season.
How bad was it? Both teams punted nine times. In the Chargers postgame locker room, cameras and reporters swarmed around ... punter Mike Scifres.
"It was one of those field position days," the unlikely star said after booming 380 total punt yards, including four that were downed inside the Raiders 10.
The Chargers got off to a quick start, scoring on the third play from scrimmage. After Raiders quarterback Derek Carr fumbled away his first snap, Rivers found Malcom Floyd for a 22-yard touchdown pass in the left corner of the end zone.
"We get spoiled with him making those plays," Rivers said of his longtime receiver. "There aren't many guys I throw that ball to."
From there it became a battle of kicks. Nick Novak hit a pair of field goals, including a 52-yarder midway through the third quarter that actually got tipped at the line. He also missed his first kick of the season, from 48 yards out to end the first half with the Chargers up just 10-3.
Local
"It's been a long time for me," Novak said of the miss. "It was good to get back out there an make one (from 52)."
Rivers completed 22 of 34 passes for 193 yards despite getting knocked around and limping off the field on a couple of occasions. He said his leg got rolled up on one play and he got the wind knocked out of him on the other.
He acknowledged having an off day, but was more concerned with the outcome of the game.
"We want to play better, we know we need to play better," Rivers said. "But winning is the objective."
Running back Ryan Mathews rushed for 70 yards in his first action after missing more than two months with a knee injury, earning praise from head coach Mike McCoy.
"He looked good," McCoy said. "He was physical and he ran the ball hard."
Keenan Allen added eight catches for 63 yards while Floyd finished with four receptions for 44 yards.
The second half was a battle of punts as the Bolts defense was able to keep the Raiders off the board until allowing a field goal with 4:06 left in the game. That preceded nine straight kicks from punter Marquette King, who finished with 446 punt yards.
From there, the Chargers were able to run out most of the clock, aided by an incredible third-down catch by Antonio Gates at midfield. He ripped the ball away from two Oakland defenders to make the acrobatic grab.
"How he kept his concentration on that ball, it was really awesome," Rivers said.
Gates finished with three catches for 32 yards.
The Raideres got the ball back with under a minute left but only drove to their own 29 before a last-second heave landed harmlessly near the Chargers end zone.
The win keeps the Bolts square in the middle of the playoff chase. They are just a game behind division co-leaders Denver and Kansas City and are clustered with a group of five other 6-4 teams vying for the final AFC playoff berth.
