"By the time Philip Rivers took his turn behind the lectern, the leak in the ceiling was down to a single drop every 20 or 30 seconds. Not enough to lower the lifeboats. Just enough to remind you it had rained.

The water descended a few inches in front of Rivers' face, plopping softly on his postgame podium. Not enough to form a puddle. Just enough to remind you Qualcomm Stadium isn't getting any younger.

Much like the Chargers quarterback's 2011 campaign, the drip was more annoying than alarming, an obvious flaw that ought to be fixable. The difference is that Rivers' problems have been more difficult to diagnose.

"I appreciate everybody trying to come up with a theory," Rivers said Sunday afternoon. "I'm not hurt. I've thrown a handful of picks that I normally don't throw and I'll probably throw some more. There won't always be a reason why.""