JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Yes, Jacksonville Jaguars middle linebacker Paul Posluszny was trying to cover San Diego receiver Travis Benjamin on Sunday.

Yes, it was by design.

And yes, it didn't work out so well.

But the Jaguars do have calls in their defense on which the linebackers are responsible for covering wide receivers. Jacksonville has used them before, but they're getting attention today because of how badly the Chargers exploited them in a 38-14 victory last Sunday.

Benjamin and Tyrell Williams burned the Jaguars for big plays on crossing patterns, including Williams' 44-yard catch and run for a touchdown.

"If you want to be multiple in some of your looks and how you're doing pressures, yeah, that matchup right there is difficult," coach Gus Bradley said. "There's times when Poz or the linebackers have to do that, and it's something that we've done before and has not been an issue. But [Benjamin] has got great speed there.

"That was a tough matchup. We all take responsibility on that one."

Posluszny shouldn't. Asking the 6-foot-2, 232-pound linebacker to cover Benjamin, who ran a 4.36 40-yard dash at the NFL combine in 2012, is unfair. Posluszny cannot stay with Benjamin across the field, and San Diego quarterback Philip Rivers recognized what he had and took advantage of the mismatch.

The Chargers ran a lot of shallow crossing patterns on which the Jaguars were playing zone. One of those plays was a short pass to Williams that he turned into a touchdown. Bradley said the Jaguars had a busted coverage because a player who was supposed to be on the perimeter wasn't -- it appeared on replays it may have been nickel back Dwayne Gratz or safety Johnathan Cyprien. That's why Williams was able to go untouched until he got inside the 10-yard line.

The Chargers also hurt the Jaguars with Benjamin on a crossing pattern that went for a 6-yard touchdown. Bradley said a linebacker was supposed to disrupt the route but didn't, and it was an easy catch and run. Strongside linebacker Dan Skuta was the closest linebacker to Benjamin, but that doesn't automatically mean he was at fault.

"There's things like that that took place during the game on some of those shallow crosses," Bradley said. "There's other chances where we've just got to win. We didn't win on some of those."

The Jaguars do have two linebackers who can run with most receivers: Telvin Smith and Myles Jack. Smith was on the field for 61 of the team's 68 defensive snaps. Jack, the Jaguars' second-round pick, played 16 snaps in the fourth quarter. Those were his first defensive snaps of the season.

Jack's strength is his speed and coverage ability, so he would be a better fit in the calls that require linebackers to run with receivers. He even lined up one-on-one with USC receiver Nelson Agholor while he was at UCLA. However, Bradley said Jack is still learning how to play weakside linebacker after spending all of training camp and the first three preseason games at middle linebacker, and the Jaguars don't believe he's ready to play a significant role yet.

"Poz was a Pro Bowl player here. He plays at an extremely high level," Bradley said. "With Myles, he continues to grow, he continues to learn. There's things we're asking of him, and we're challenging him to be able to step on the field in critical times. He's got to be fully aware of all the situations and his responsibility, and he's getting better in that area. The improvement that we've seen over the last couple weeks is exactly what we're looking for.

"We've just got to keep challenging him because he has some attributes that are great for this team, but he's got to be out there when he's earned the trust of everybody. And that's what hes doing right now."