COSTA MESA, Calif. -- Philip Rivers knows how much making kicks matters to Nick Novak.
That’s why the Los Angeles Chargers' veteran quarterback was not surprised by the 36-year-old’s winning kick against the Oakland Raiders on Sunday.
Yes, it was a 32-yard chip shot. However, the Chargers had already watched opening-week kicker rookie Younghoe Koo fall short in late-game situations in back-to-back outings against the Denver Broncos and Miami Dolphins, so having someone who'd been there and done it before was comforting.
Rivers said that even though Novak missed a 48-yard kick earlier in the game, he had confidence Novak would split the uprights to seal the victory.