SAN DIEGO -- The Chargers must move on quickly from their latest loss because the AFC West rival Oakland Raiders are coming to town Thursday night.
Now they're coming off three consecutive losses, including two road collapses and Sunday's 45-38 loss to Aaron Rodgers and the undefeated Green Bay Packers.
The one constant during the Chargers' skid has been quarterback Philip Rivers' turnovers. Their final shot at tying the Packers ended in the closing seconds when Rivers threw his third interception, setting a career high for a game. Green Bay returned the first two picks for touchdowns in the first quarter.
Rivers leads the NFL with 14 interceptions and 17 turnovers overall. He did match his career high with four TD passes against the Packers, three to Vincent Jackson.
"We scored 38 points. That in itself is good," Rivers said. "Obviously, you can't turn the ball over. That was the difference in the game, turning it over. That's something I need to keep working on and do a better job of. We gave ourselves a chance and never quit. But there's no consolation when you lose."
Rivers and safety Eric Weddle said the Chargers need to do a better job of finishing games. They botched a two-minute drill during a loss to the New York Jets two weeks ago, then Rivers shockingly fumbled away a snap while the Chargers were driving in the final minute of regulation of a tie game at Kansas City, leading to an overtime loss.
"We started fast, but we haven't finished and we've lost games," Weddle said. "That's the league. If you don't play well, you're going to lose games. We just want to go out and play a complete game and win it and move on and get on to the next week."
Guard Kris Dielman (concussion) and outside linebacker Shaun Phillips (foot) are expected to miss their third consecutive games. Running back Ryan Mathews, who missed the Packers game with a groin injury, was limited in practice Monday, but he's expected to play.
Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press
