Philip Rivers and the Chargers have finished the first half of their season at 5-3.
Under normal circumstances, most teams would gladly take five wins out of their first eight, especially if the schedule breaks nicely in the second half.
Rivers and the Chargers, though, are playing behind the best team in football.
"This is a 16-game season, it's a 16-round fight and we've won five and lost three," Rivers said at the podium Thursday night. "It's one big game is the way I see it. We've had a couple rounds where we've got knocked around a little bit. We have to regroup and try to go get round number nine at Miami."
"We are banged up like crazy and that's not an excuse. That isn't why we lost, but we'll get healthier as the year goes and we have to win," Rivers said. "We have to win as we move forward. We've lost two and a row, we're 5-3 at the halfway point, and if we have another 5-3, you get to 10, and the odds are you'll play another game. I know it's not a guarantee, but we gotta just keep going one at a time."
Though he knows the Chargers are on the right track, Rivers sounds like a quarterback who knows he needs to be a little closer to perfect.
The latest Around The NFL Podcast previews every Week 8 game, and breaks down the Broncos' win over the Chargers. Find more Around The NFL content on NFL NOW.
