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COSTA MESA Virgil Green Jersey , Calif. (AP) — their bye-week break to happen during a four-game winning streak. It comes at a good time, though, for the Los Angeles Chargers.At 5-2, they have a winning record during their off week for the first time since 2014 despite not having one of their key defensive standouts play a game. Los Angeles is hoping Joey Bosa will be available when it begins preparations for its Nov. 4 game at Seattle.Bosa has been out since early in training camp with a foot injury. He has spent the last two weeks rehabbing at the team facility during the team’s road games at Cleveland and Tennessee in London.“I think it’s going to be really important for him,” coach Anthony Lynn said last week about the bye week for Bosa. “It’ll give us another week and not have the stress of missing a game. I think it can do nothing but help him.”The Chargers struggled with their pass rush early in the season, but have 10 sacks over the past three games, which is tied for fourth-most in the league during that span. Defensive ends Isaac Rochell, Melvin Ingram and Darius Philon each have two sacks.Bosa’s return would create more matchup problems for opposing offenses. He has 23 career sacks in two seasons, including an NFL-record 19 in his first 20 games. The Chargers are ranked 16th in the league in total defense and have struggled on third down as opponents are converting 46.1 percent of the time. That is the third-worst percentage in the league.Offensively, Philip Rivers is off to one of the best starts of his 15-year career. He’s second in the league with a 117.8 passer rating and has a completion rate of 69.1 percent. Rivers’ favorite target over the past three games has been Tyrell Williams, who has 10 receptions for 302 yards and three touchdowns.Melvin Gordon is fifth in the league in yards rushing (466), but missed the game against Tennessee due to a hamstring injury. Lynn said he held Gordon out in the hopes the injury would not linger and that the fourth-year back would be ready for the last two months of the regular season.Gordon is averaging 5.1 yards per carry http://www.thechargerslockerroom.com/authentic-mike-pouncey-jersey , which is over a yard better than his career average of 3.95 yards. He also has 30 receptions and is on pace to surpass his career high of 58 from last season.“I don’t know what it is, we’re just ‘clicking’ right now,” Williams said. “Everybody is trusting the running backs to run and catch. Receivers are making plays and the offensive line is playing really well.”The Chargers will also need to make a decision about their kicker next week. Caleb Sturgis has missed four extra points in five games before suffering a quadriceps injury on Oct. 10. Michael Badgley has made all three of his field-goal attempts and is 7 of 7 on extra points.Los Angeles is looking to make the playoffs for the first time since 2013 and has put itself in good position. Its schedule is favorable in November as it will face only one team with a winning record. The December slate will be more of a challenge as it includes a late-season trifecta against Cincinnati (Dec. 9), at Kansas City (Dec. 13) and then Baltimore on Dec. 22.“We’ve kind of picked up, in some ways, where we left off last year (when the Chargers won nine of their final 12),” Rivers said. “We need to keep it going, though. We know the great teams sustain that over the long haul.” COSTA MESA, Calif. (AP) — The Los Angeles Chargers must choose between potential and experience when they select the next primary backup to Philip Rivers.Cardale Jones has displayed in one NFL game the tantalizing physical tools he showed in leading Ohio State to the 2014 national title. Geno Smith made 30 starts in his first two seasons, but has attempted just 92 passes since 2014.“It’s kind of a position where we both need to prove our worth,” Jones said.Offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt has not yet decided how to split up the critical game reps between Smith and Jones in the preseason opener at Arizona on Saturday, but said it would likely be close to the even distribution they have shared during OTAs and training camp. The approach seems to have worked so far as Whisenhunt is pleased with the progress both have shown.The willingness of Jones Womens Isaac Rochell Jersey , who was acquired in a trade with Buffalo last year, and Smith, who signed a one-year contract with the Chargers as a free agent in April, to work together is a positive sign.“The guys, they communicate,” Whisenhunt said. “They pull for each other, but they’re very competitive, which is what you want.”Jones credits his collaborative spirit to working with Rivers, something that became evident in his first training camp with the Chargers.“Just being in a room with Philip for a week, I felt like I wasn’t in the NFL the year before because of the knowledge he was able to provide,” Jones said.That relationship also allowed Jones to realize that being a quarterback takes more than a big arm or raw athleticism. Those traits propelled him into the spotlight starting the final three games of the Buckeyes’ national championship run, but Whisenhunt sees Jones being better able to operate in a structure going into his third NFL season despite attempting 11 career passes.“It has been exciting to see the way Cardale has grown up Michael Badgley Jersey ,” Whisenhunt said.“You understand guys are a lot better and faster,” Jones said. “You need to do things different and that’s what I can say (now).”Smith has a clear edge in game action. He has appeared in 35 games and has a 12-19 record as a starter. Being in both roles has shaped his understanding of how the backup has to approach his role.“The most important attribute is to be ready every single week. You never know when your number is going to be called,” said Smith, who has thrown 29 touchdown passes and 36 interceptions.Backing up Rivers has largely been a theoretical exercise since he became the starter in 2006. Rivers has started 192 consecutive games, the longest active streak in the NFL at any position. Kellen Clemens attempted eight passes as Rivers’ backup last season, all with the Chargers leading by at least 24 points.Still, Whisenhunt said the criteria for choosing a backup does not change because of Rivers’ remarkable dependability.“The right answer for me is that I want a guy that can go in there and win if your starter is out,” Whisenhunt said. “You don’t ever want to lose your starting quarterback, but if you feel like you have a guy that has shown that he can go in there, handle it and do well, it’s a really good feeling.”