Skip to main content

Rivers leads Chargers to 22-10 win over Bills

By WTOP Staff

JOHN WAWROW
AP Sports Writer

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — One week, it’s 6-foot-4 tight end Antonio Gates. The next, it’s 5-10 wide receiver Eddie Royal.

Whether big or small, Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers showed he has more than one go-to receiver after efficiently leading San Diego to a 22-10 win over the Buffalo Bills on Sunday.

“Philip just opens up everybody,” receiver Malcom Floyd said. “We’ve got all kind of weapons on the field. It’s pretty much just picking your poison.”

A week after throwing three touchdown passes to Gates in a 30-21 win over Seattle, Rivers turned his attention to several other targets in completing 18 of 25 attempts for 256 yards. Floyd had two 49-yard catches that set up separate scoring drives. Royal finished with four catches for 42 yards, and backup tight end Ladarius Green had four catches for 64 yards.

“It’s key, no matter who’s in there,” said Royal, who scored on 3- and 5-yard touchdown catches. “It’s great when you’ve got a lot of guys that can make plays.”

The Chargers even overcame the loss of another running back a week after starter Ryan Mathews sprained his right knee. Against Buffalo, Danny Woodhead did not return after hurting his right ankle on his first carry 3-1/2 minutes in.

Donald Brown stepped in and finished with a combined 89 yards offense (62 rushing and 27 receiving).

Coach Mike McCoy did not have an immediate update on the severity of Woodhead’s injury except to say the player was going to have more tests.

Rivers, however, indicated he expects Woodhead to miss at least a few weeks.

The Chargers are off to a 2-1 start for the third time in four years. And they built on the momentum generated following a 30-21 home win over the defending Super Bowl champion Seahawks.

Fred Jackson scored on an 11-yard catch and run for Buffalo (2-1), which blew an opportunity to get off to a 3-0 start for only the third time since 1993.

Quarterback EJ Manuel went 23 of 39 for 238 yards, but had difficulty finding chemistry with his receivers.

“We weren’t in sync,” Bills coach Doug Marrone said. “There’s a lot of things that we can learn from this game, and we’ve got some young guys out there and they’ll continue to get better.”

A week after catching eight passes for 117 yards and a touchdown, rookie receiver Sammy Watkins was limited to two catches for 19 yards despite being targeted eight times.

There were several times when Watkins short-armed throws his way. Another time, he was late turning for the ball, which sailed past him on what was a costly incompletion. It came on fourth-and-3 at the Chargers 43 with 8:25 left.

“Just throwing the ball a hair too soon,” Manuel said. “I wouldn’t say it’s a wake-up call, but it’s definitely something that’s needed to get us back into that groove of winning.”

Manuel also gave up a safety after being penalized for intentional grounding in the end zone with 3:23 remaining.

The Chargers defense had three sacks and limited the Bills to 11 first downs and 171 yards offense through three quarters.

San Diego took control on consecutive possessions spanning halftime.

Nick Novak capped a seven-play, 61-yard drive with a 37-yard field goal to put the Chargers up 13-3 with 21 seconds left in the second quarter.

Rivers opened the third quarter by marching the Chargers on a 14-play, 80-yard drive, which he capped with a 5-yard pass to Royal. Rivers completed four of six attempts for 56 yards on the drive, and converted all three third-down chances.

“We were tired of getting field goals,” Royal said about ending the drive with a TD. “It’s great to get points, but we wanted to score a touchdown.”

The Bills were unable to muster a threat after Jackson cut the Chargers’ lead to 20-10 late in the third quarter.

Buffalo’s next drive ended with Corey Liuget sacking Manuel for a 17-yard loss, and the next ended on downs with the incompletion to Watkins.

And the sold-out house began heading for the exits with 5:31 left when defensive end Kendall Reyes sacked Manuel for a 10-yard loss to force a punt on fourth-and-20 at Buffalo’s 10.

NOTES: Novak also hit a 19-yard field goal, and extended his streak to hitting 23 straight attempts to pass Nate Kaeding for second on the team list. … Andre Reed was honored during a ceremony at halftime, when he was presented his Hall of Fame ring by Pro Football Hall of Fame President David Baker. Reed was one of seven to be inducted into the Hall of Fame in August. … Bills LG Chris Williams (back), WR Marcus Easley (left knee), S Da’Norris Searcy (ankle) did not return after being hurt.

___

AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and http://twitter.com/AP_NFL

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
Read Next Story

Related News

Frustration grows in Venezuela as earthquake death toll reaches 1,430

Israel and Lebanon sign framework agreement with US in ‘first step’ toward peace, Rubio says

Trump-endorsed populist poised to become Colombia’s next president as rival challenges vote