"Philip Rivers is throwing passes to guys he didn't even know a few months ago and doing it at a record-breaking pace.

With his fifth 300-yard game of the season in Sunday's 33-25 victory over the Tennessee Titans, Rivers has thrown for 2,649 yards, most in NFL history through a season's first eight games.

The biggest factor, however, doesn't sit well with him.

"We've been behind in games," he said. "I certainly would trade it for a lot more wins."

Still, it is perhaps most remarkable because has completed passes to 14 different receivers, six of whom he'd never thrown to before this season, including three who had never caught an NFL pass two games ago.

With Malcom Floyd and Legedu Naanee still sidelined by hamstring strains and Buster Davis missing his first game due to a rib injury, the wide receivers Rivers had available to him Sunday had a combined 21 receptions as Chargers.

"There are guys that are gaining valuable experience," said Rivers, who bettered Dan Fouts' 2,580 yards through eight games in the strike-shortened 1982 season.

"It takes a lot of guys catching the ball, running and making a lot of plays to get the yards that we have gotten at the halfway mark," Rivers said. "Hopefully, there are a lot more yards left this year, and hopefully they are going to turn into a lot more wins."

Gates great againTight end Antonio Gates missed the Chargers' first series of the second half while having his injured foot re-taped. He then ended the second series with a reception he turned into a 48-yard touchdown play that gave the Chargers a 24-19 lead.

"I was struggling throughout the game trying to maintain my health," Gates acknowledged afterward.

In his struggles, Gates caught five passes for 123 yards, a couple of them including moves as spectacular as anything he could do at full health. The touchdown catch was his league-leading ninth of the season."