CARSON, Calif. _ After the Los Angeles Chargers somehow lost a football game despite intercepting the ball twice in the final two minutes while leading, safety Tre Boston put things on the defense's shoulders.
That his team was on the wrong end of the scoreboard more often than not, it was a Joey Bosa problem, a Casey Hayward problem, a Melvin Ingram problem.
"We have to find ways to put points on the board," he said in Jacksonville through the fog of frustration. "Once we start finding a way to score on defense ..."
Well, they've found a way.
Sunday, the Chargers defense scored twice in a 54-24 walloping of the Buffalo Bills in front of 25,015 at the StubHub Center.
The Chargers intercepted rookie quarterback Nathan Peterman five times and forced his replacement, Tyrod Taylor, to fumble. The six takeaways were the most for the team since Week 8 of the 1990 season.
Boston's plea a week ago was just as much of an indictment of a Chargers offense that hadn't given the team much help. But Sunday, even without the two defensive touchdowns, the Chargers would've been OK.
Philip Rivers, who was just cleared from a concussion on Friday, was superb, passing for 250 yards and two touchdowns without an interception. His top target, Keenan Allen, sprung untouched into space on nearly every snap on his way to 12 catches and 159 yards receiving.
The 54 points for the Chargers were the most scored in any game started by Rivers as a professional.
The starters got to watch the final quarter as the reserves mopped things up with the win well in hand.
It all started on the Bills' first possession when Korey Toomer grabbed a deflected pass that bounced off the hands of the intended receiver. Toomer scampered down the sideline for 59 yards for the Chargers' first defensive touchdown of the season.
And, in their last action of the day, the Charger starters closed the game in a similar fashion, with Bosa stripping Taylor and knocking the ball to Ingram, who took it 39 yards for the score.
In between the scores, Hayward intercepted two passes with Boston and Trevor Williams also picking off Peterman twice _ all before halftime.
