CARSON, Calif. _ On a day when Philip Rivers completed his first 25 passes and the Los Angeles Chargers rolled over the Arizona Cardinals 45-10, the lasting image was that of Melvin Gordon.
The team's star running back suffered a third-quarter knee injury and did not return to the game, instead hobbling to the locker room.
The extent of the injury was not immediately known, but losing Gordon would be a major blow to an offense that can be potent when all its weapons are in play.
Gordon had a hamstring issue that caused him to miss a game last month and had been limited in practice in the week leading up to this game because of what coach Anthony Lynn called a sore knee.
Gordon was hurt Sunday on the Chargers' first possession of the second half and on a rather strange call, particularly given that the score was 28-10 and the fact he was "questionable" because of a knee problem entering Sunday.
On a reverse that began with Rivers tossing to Austin Ekeler, Gordon then accepted the ball on a lateral from Ekeler.
Arizona defensive lineman Robert Nkemdiche took out Gordon low. Gordon remained on the ground briefly before limping off on his own.
The injury cast a shadow on a day that otherwise was dominated by Rivers and the Chargers, who bounced back convincingly after a 23-22 home loss to Denver.
The veteran quarterback established an NFL single-game record by completing his first 25 attempts. The streak matched Ryan Tannehill's mark of 25 in a row set over two games.
Rivers finished 28 of 29 for 259 yards and three touchdowns. The completion rate of 96.6 percent also set a single-game record for a quarterback who threw at least 20 passes.
And all that production came after a sluggish start for the Chargers, who permitted the Cardinals to score on their first two possessions.
Josh Rosen passed 25 yards to Larry Fitzgerald for the game's first touchdown and then Phil Dawson kicked a 30-yard field goal to put Arizona up 10-0 barely 10 minutes into the game.
The Chargers forced the Dawson kick by breaking up a pair of Rosen passes in the end zone. Rookies Uchenna Nwosu and Derwin James made the key defensive plays to limit the damage.
After being blanked in the first quarter, the Chargers got rolling, scoring all 28 points of the second quarter. Gordon reached the end zone on runs of 28 yards and five yards and Rivers passed nine yards and two yards to Mike Williams for the other touchdowns.
The last score came in the closing seconds of the half as the Chargers completed an 80-yard drive in 10 plays and 97 seconds.
The final two plays featured absurdly precise tip-toe catches along the sideline by Keenan Allen and Williams. Those plays allowed Rivers to finish the half a perfect 19 for 19 for 187 yards.
Rivers' first-half completions went to seven different receivers, including rookie Sean Culkin, who made his first career catch, and Travis Benjamin, who hadn't caught a pass since Week 7.
The Chargers now have outscored their opponents in the second quarter 124-41 for the season.
They extended their lead in the third quarter on a four-yard Rivers-to-Allen pass and a two-yard run by Ekeler.
Michael Badgley's 31-yard field goal finished the scoring in the final four minutes.
Gordon finished with 61 yards on 10 carries. But his availability moving forward will be the bigger story now.
