Note to Chargers QB Philip Rivers: It wasn’t just another loss

Maybe San Diego quarterback Philip Rivers was still in shock.

But after a historic collapse against Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos on “Monday Night Football,” Rivers basically characterized what had just happened on the football field as just another loss.

“Every loss hurts,” he said after the 35-24 loss to the Broncos. “Regardless of what negative or bad plays or how you lose a game, when you lose a game, it’s rough. Especially a game when you had such a big lead. So much was at stake for an early-in-the-year division game. It’s not the way we want to go into the bye week. Certainly, it’s not the way I, and we, wanted to perform. We’re 3-3, you regroup, and get ready to go.”

Pretty sure that at least for Chargers fans it was not just another loss. Not when their team had a 24-0 halftime lead and was well on its way to a two-game lead in the AFC West six games into the season, only to find itself at 3-3 and tied with the Broncos for the division lead.

And not after seeing their beloved Bolts become the first team in NFL history to lose by double digits after leading by 24 points in what also tied all-time records for the largest comebacks by a road team in league history and by any team ever on “MNF.”

It certainly wasn’t just another loss for Rivers either from a performance standpoint. He turned the ball over six times with four interceptions, both career highs. Five of the Chargers’ six drives in the disastrous second half ended with a Rivers turnover, with two of those being returned for Broncos touchdowns.

They went three-and-out in their other second-half drive, during which Rivers completed a four-yard pass but also was sacked for a nine-yard loss.

Credit goes to Rivers for taking responsibility for a lot of the miscues. “It was mostly just poor throws,” he said. “I wasn’t fooled out there once today.”

I’m not trying to say that Rivers is happy about what happened or that he doesn’t care. Like he said, every loss hurts.

I just can’t imagine that this one doesn’t hurt a little more than the others.

ALSO:

Bill Dwyre: Broncos go nuts on Bolts

Ravens lose Ray Lewis, Lardarius Webb for the season

Broncos erase 24-point halftime deficit, beat Chargers, 35-24