A sweet come from behind victory over the Kansas City Chiefs quickly turned sour for the San Diego Chargers on Monday night when quarterback Philip Rivers fumbled a snap that was just a play away from setting up a likely game-winning field goal.

It was the most disastrous of many bad moments for quarterback Philip Rivers this season. “I haven’t played perfect,” Rivers said. “Not even close.” Rivers leads the league with 11 interceptions. Add three lost fumbles and he also leads the league in total turnovers (14). Despite his struggles, the Chargers locker room remains steadfast behind their leader.

While Rivers admits his own short comings, it's a dangerous proposition to even suggest to his teammates that Rivers is struggling. Tight end Randy McMichael compared anyone who has issues with Rivers’ recent performances to that of a spoiled child. “If you take them to a toy store every Friday and every once in awhile you don’t take them to that toy store, they always think something is wrong.”

Inside linebacker Takeo Spikes, a defensive team captain commented that the strength of the team is built around the support of Rivers. “I can’t tell you one player that hasn’t gone through adversity,” Spikes said. “That is what builds character.”

Coach Norv Turner also stands behind Rivers, but he believes Rivers may be putting too much of the burden of winning on himself. “Philip is trying as hard as he can to help us go out and win games,” Turner said. “Sometimes, I think he is trying too hard. He is trying to make a play where there is not.”

“I am trying to do the best I can,” Rivers said. “It’s hard to feel your own self exactly what you are doing. If you knew what you were doing was going to hinder you, you wouldn’t do it.”

Speculations have swarmed that Rivers is hurt and that's why he is not playing to the level we have grown accustomed to. Rivers appeared to be working out a kink in his upper body during practice this week when he repeatedly stretched his neck and left shoulder on Wednesday. Rivers, however, has denied on several occasions he is injured. “There is nothing wrong other than some throws.” Frequently his play has demonstrated that he is not injured. Rivers has completed many passes that an injured quarterback likely could not make.

Injury or no injury, wide receiver Vincent Jackson said Rivers has not changed his approach. “I don’t see any change in his personality,”Jackson said. “I don’t see that he is down or that he is practicing any different or going to meetings any different. He is the leader of this team. He does it by example every day, and everyone looks up to him in the huddle.”

Strong safety Steve Gregory pointed out that not all of Rivers’ turnovers have been mistakes. “Sometimes it is just the way the ball bounces,” Gregory said. “He has had some unlucky things happen so far. There are things that are not necessarily his fault. He will be fine. He knows what he is doing out there.”

Even when there are mistakes, Jackson said he appreciates Rivers’aggressive nature. “I think he has always had that,” Jackson said. “I would much rather have a guy who is willing to go out there and pull the trigger and make plays then someone who is gun shy, which he isn’t.”

Gregory agrees, “You would rather have a guy who is willing to give it a hundred percent. You have to be willing to fail if you want to succeed.”

One explanation for his struggles could be that often at least one key offensive target has missed practice. Their absences in practice could be impacting Rivers’ timing in games. “(Rivers) handles it the best that he can,” Turner said. “At some point it does have an effect.”

Rivers would view that as an excuse because he dealt with injuries to his receiving corps last season when he completed passes to 17 different receivers in route to throwing for a league-leading 4,710 yards. Despite all that has gone wrong this year, Rivers has still thrown for 2,084 yards through seven games to put him on pace for 4,763 yards this season.

Rivers has never been one to care about personal stats. He does care about winning. It's important that he and the team move past Monday’s overtime loss against the Chiefs (23-20). “We have to move forward in a hurry,” Rivers said. “There is no time to dwell on the past because we can’t change it. But we can have an impact on the game this weekend.”

This Sunday the Chargers take on defending Super Bowl champions the Green Bay Packers. The Packers defense is ranked 31st in the league against the pass, having given up on average 288.9 yards per game. This may bode well for Rivers, but if the Chargers are going to pull off the upset, Rivers will have to do a better job securing the football.

The Packers defense is ranked second in the league in interceptions (13). Rivers says he is up for the task. “It’s about as exciting as it gets playing a team that hasn’t lost this season and won it all last year,” Rivers said. “I am looking forward to it.”

Win or lose, come Monday the locker room will still belong to Rivers. Just ask McMichael. “Philip is fine and we have his back no matter what!”