Monday’s view from Chargers Park was pretty grand.

At 3-1, the Chargers are atop the AFC West.

We know, the Broncos had a bye and the Chargers were able to pick up a half game.

The Chargers rolled to their third straight victory on Sunday thumping the Jacksonville Jaguars, 33-14.

“A good team effort,” coach Mike McCoy said. “But there’s always going to be things we can improve on.”

A detective doesn’t have to dig too deep to see where the team needs to get better: the running game.

The Chargers once again leaned on quarterback Philip Rivers and he responded with another stellar day by throwing three touchdown passes.

The Chargers’ air attack compensated for a tepid running attack that produced 42 yards and never really gained any traction.

“We’re not making any excuses,” McCoy said. “We need to run the ball better.”

That’s going to be tough with Ryan Mathews out with a knee injury and Danny Woodhead out for the season. But McCoy is confident the run-blocking, more than anything, will come around to give the Chargers a more balanced approach.

“It’s not talent at all,” McCoy stressed. “It’s execution.”

The Chargers will face stiff test as they prepare for a tough New York Jets run defense on Sunday. At least they can go about fixing the running attack knowing they are riding a three-game winning streak and a growing believe something special could be brewing.

The first quarter of the season has ended and the Chargers like where they sit.

In first place.

NOTES, QUOTES

–Wide receiver Eddie Royal’s big day was no fluke. He said film study and the ability of coordinator Frank Reich and staff to anticipate the Jaguars’ coverages were the keys. “All the coaches did a great job in game planning,” said Royal, who had touchdown catches of 47 and 43 yards. “We saw some things on film that we wanted to take advantage of. We worked so hard on them doing the week and it’s just good to see us get touchdowns and big plays out of those.” Royal finished with five catches for 105 yards

–Keenan Allen was another Chargers wide receiver with a solid outing. Allen still hasn’t scored this season, but he set career highs in receptions (10) and receiving yards (135). “I felt like every catch was a big catch,” Allen said. “I just got in the mood, got in the zone and Philip just kept throwing it.”

–The Chargers’ first interception of the season bounced off cornerback Brandon Flowers’ hands the previous game. But not this Sunday. His interception was still the team’s first. “I let one get away last week,” Flowers said. “I made it my duty to come out here and try and get a turnover and do just what the owner and the staff need me to do: get the ball back to Philip Rivers so they can put up some points.”

REPORT CARD VS. JAGUARS

PASSING OFFENSE: A — Philip Rivers is playing at a level not seen since, well, last year. Rivers continues to be efficient and savvy with his game, settling for the underneath routes on the majority of his passes, but not overlooking the options up top if they are there. Eddie Royal and Keenan Allen were a big part of the passing attack — and good thing because the run game was shoddy. Protection was pretty good for the most part. Rivers and fill-in center Doug Legursky did have some problems with exchanges. But the big takeaway is Rivers is playing at an MVP level, recording at 130 passing rating for the second straight game.

RUSHING OFFENSE: F — Nothing. To. See. Here. The Chargers have ran the ball well all year, a blemish that is only greater with Ryan Mathews out and Danny Woodhead gone. The running lanes were seldom seen and if they did appear, they weren’t there long enough for Donald Brown (1.9 average) or Braden Oliver (2.6) to squeeze through. As spiffy as the passing game was, the running game spit out but 42 passing yards.

PASS DEFENSE: B — The secondary got its house in order in the second half, after rookie Blake Bortles had toyed with it a bit in the first half. Two interceptions in the second half iced the win. Brandon Flowers had one and he had an overall solid game. Eric Weddle got the other pick. Pass rush was enough to fluster Bortles; the Chargers had three sacks. Dwight Freeney isn’t getting big numbers but he’s getting near enough to quarterbacks to keep them skittish.

RUSH DEFENSE: B — Donald Butler had one of his better games of the season and the Jaguars’ success on the ground was sporadic. This unit also head firm twice on fourth-and-1 plays to get the ball back to Rivers. Toby Gerhart fumbled on one rush; he ended up with 32 yards and a score. No rushes were for more than 10 yards. Corey Liuget had four tackles, one for a loss.

SPECIAL TEAMS: A — Nick Novak was 4-for-4 as he continues his consistent production. Three of Mike Scifres’ four punts landed inside the Jaguar 20. The coverage units were clean, save one 32-yard kick return. Still no juice from the Chargers’ return game.

COACHING: A — Coach Mike McCoy had a long list of injured players heading into the game. But that didn’t prevent him from getting the Chargers to believe the next man up really could deliver. Many players stepped up against the overmatched Jaguars in this very workmanlike performance. The Chargers won despite being one-dimensional offensively and having a few “who-is-this-kid” moments when Bortles had his way with the defense early. McCoy didn’t try to stretch the field often, playing mostly safe against a team, which would need some turnovers to compete. The defense tightened up on Bortles and with a revved pass-rush the predictable turnovers.