BERNIE WILSON
AP Sports Writer
SAN DIEGO (AP) — The oddsmakers say the San Diego Chargers should have an easy afternoon Sunday with the lowly Jacksonville Jaguars, who routinely lose games by double digits.
This city’s bandwagon fans think their beloved Bolts will be 6-1 heading into the first meeting of the year with Peyton Manning and the AFC West rival Denver Broncos.
Oh, and the Super Bowl is going to be played just a five-hour drive across the desert in Glendale, Arizona.
Not so fast, say Philip Rivers and the Chargers, who upset the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks two weeks ago and then went cross country to beat the Buffalo Bills.
Overconfident?
“I don’t think so, with the maturity of our team,” Rivers said.
“There is no guarantee to you in this league. Every week is a fight, a battle.”
The Bolts (2-1), fueled by Rivers’ passing accuracy, will face a Jaguars team that is 0-3 and has been outscored 119-44.
“All 32 teams can win any week,” Rivers said. “I wouldn’t be jumping on the bandwagon they are winless. It’s the third week,” Rivers said. “It’s not like it is Week 15 and they are winless. That is a different. We’re going to get their best shot. We know what we were going to get.”
Jacksonville hopes its best shot will finally carry some punch now that rookie Blake Bortles is the starting quarterback.
Asked whether he’s ready for his first start, Bortles said: “I don’t know.
“I’m going to go out there and prepare this week and do everything that I’ve done — go over everything I possibly can to get ready and I’m going to go play football,” he said. “We’re going to play Sunday whether I’m ready or not, so I might as well get as ready as I can possibly be.”
There are high expectations for the Chargers. The Jaguars are young and inexperienced, especially on offense, and in the second year of a complete rebuild. They’ve lost 21 of their past 35 games by double digits, including four in a row dating to last year’s finale.
Here are some things to watch for when the Jaguars visit the Chargers:
BORTLES, PART I: The third pick overall in May’s draft, Bortles showed poise in throwing for 223 yards and two touchdowns in the second half of a 44-17 loss to Indianapolis. He also threw an interception that was returned for a touchdown.
“Learn from it, move on and try not to make that same mistake again,” Bortles said.
The Jags had to speed up their timetable for Bortles after Chad Henne struggled and the lopsided losses continued.
BORTLES, PART II: Cornerback Brandon Flowers says the Chargers need to jump on the Jaguars early.
“It’s like a new season for them with a new quarterback. They’ve got new life. It’s almost like their record is 0-0 right now. They’ve got a new leader,” Flowers said. “We’ve got to make it tough for him. He can throw, he can scramble, he can get out of pressure. He has all the tools. We can’t let him get any rhythm. We’ve got to take it away.”
THE REPLACEMENTS: Chargers running back Danny Woodhead is out for the season with a broken leg. It’ll take a committee of Donald Brown, Branden Oliver and Shaun Draughn to replace him.
“There’s few backs in this league who do what he does on third down, so we’ve got to find ways to fill that void,” offensive coordinator Frank Reich said.
Running back Ryan Mathews remains out with a knee injury and inside linebacker Manti Te’o is out indefinitely with a fractured foot.
TIGHT END TROUBLE: Chargers tight end Antonio Gates could be in for a big day against Jacksonville. Maybe Ladarius Green, too.
The Jaguars have been beaten, burned and bested by just about every tight end they’ve faced the past two seasons. Opposing tight ends have totaled 117 receptions for 1,328 yards and 13 touchdowns in the past 19 games against the Jaguars.
In Jacksonville’s three games this season, opposing tight ends have combined to catch 25 passes for 293 yards and four scores. Next up: Gates, who has 14 catches for 185 yards and three TDs. “He’s very savvy, has a great feel,” Jaguars coach Gus Bradley said. “He doesn’t do things that you would see from normal tight ends that you play. Just unique. … We have to be fully aware of where he’s at.”
WEST COAST WOES: The Jaguars have lost their past six games on the West Coast, including going 0-4 in California. Jacksonville’s last win in the Golden State came Jan. 2, 2005, at Oakland. The Jags are winless in two trips to San Diego, falling 38-13 in 2010 and 34-21 in 2004.
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AP Sports Writer Mark Long in Jacksonville contributed.
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Follow Bernie Wilson on Twitter at http://twitter.com/berniewilson
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