Big Ten: Packers-Chargers Noteworthy Numbers

There are 14 teams in the Big Ten Conference. Hence, there are 14 storytelling stats in this weekly feature. For a bonus 15th: The Chargers’ Melvin Gordon ran for 80 yards; he had 81 the previous three games combined.

-2: Net yards on Green Bay’s first two possessions, with the Packers moving the ball 13 yards but losing 15 yards on three penalties.

3: False-start penalties on Green Bay’s first two possessions. For the season, the Packers have been flagged for 14 false starts, the fifth-most in the league. Their opponents have been penalized four times. They are one of only two teams (Houston, minus-13) that are in a double-digits hole.

“We had some silly penalties that we’re not used to having. That hurt us,” quarterback Aaron Rodgers said. “Especially when you only have three possessions in the first half, you’ve got to make them count. I’m just talking about the offensive side of the ball. We’ve got to be honest about our routine and decisions we made the last 48 hours and make sure that our heads are in the right place the next we come on a big road trip, which will just be in three weeks.”

10: The Packers had a season-low four plays of more than 10 yards. Over the previous seven games, they averaged 13. On plays of 18 yards or longer, the Chargers had a 5-1 advantage.

11: Rushes by the Packers vs. a total of 38 passes and sacks by Rodgers. Over the last three games, Green Bay’s run the ball 35.7 percent of the time, the eighth-lowest rate in the league.

12: Tackles by Packers linebacker Blake Martinez. His first tackle of the game was a stop for 0 yards; he didn’t have another tackle of less than 5 yards until the fourth quarter.

19: Net passing yards in the first half, with Rodgers’ 35 passing yards offset by minus-16 yards in sacks.

20: Green Bay’s third-down percentage, a 2-of-10 performance. In Weeks 7 and 8, the Packers had the best third-down offense in the league. Through the first eight weeks, the Chargers had the 30th-ranked third-down defense.

23: Completions by Rodgers. Of those, only two of those passes were thrown 10-plus yards downfield. He was 2-of-7 on those passes.

50: Total yards by the Packers in the first half, Green Bay’s lowest output with Rodgers at quarterback since Week 8 of the 2009 season against Minnesota, according to ESPN.

120: The Packers have allowed 120-plus rushing yards in six games this season. Only Washington (seven) has had more such games.

142: Rushing yards the previous four games by the Chargers.

159: Rushing yards by the Chargers against the Packers.

“I feel like we weren’t aligning our gaps right,” outside linebacker Za’Darius Smith said. “In certain situations, myself included, I was out of the gap one time and I think he hit me for like 30 yards. To do that, I need to correct my mistakes and tune into the little things playing the edge. Each and every guy playing that gap and continue doing what we do best.”

184: Total yards by the Packers, a figure eclipsed by the Chargers’ seven longest plays. That’s the fourth-fewest yards in any game started and finished by Rodgers and their lowest since the 2015 regular-season finale at Arizona.

258: The yardage differential, with the Chargers gaining 442 yards to Green Bay’s 184. Over the past 10 seasons, that’s the third-largest against Green Bay. With Matt Flynn at quarterback in Detroit on Nov. 28, 2013, the Lions outgained the Packers by 435 yards en route to a 40-10 win. On Nov. 1, 2015, in a battle of undefeated teams at Denver, the Broncos outgained the Packers by 360 yards to win 29-10.