Getty Images Phillip Rivers changing the play presnap.
An old warrior takes on a young gladiator on Thursday Night Football as the Los Angeles Chargers are set to play the Kansas City Chiefs. For the second time this season, we will get Phillip Rivers versus Patrick Mahomes. Over the last couple of years, the Chargers haven’t exactly been relevant when it comes to talks of the postseason. This year though, it’s been an entirely different story. The Chargers are 10-3, sitting only behind their opponent for the night, who leads the AFC West at 11-2.
Just by looking at the numbers, you can tell that this matchup is shaping up to be an important one. Although both the Chiefs and the Chargers have an excellent chance of making playoff appearances at the same time, the Chargers still have an opportunity to take down the division. It all starts on Thursday night as the 2018 NFL season begins to wind down.
All of the attention may be focused on the matchup as a whole, and the significance of the outcome within the division. But one thing that doesn’t get talked about a lot is how crazy it is to see a guy like Phillip Rivers battling against a kid like Patrick Mahomes.
Rivers, who is 37-years-old will take on the 23-year-old Mahomes once again as he continues his ridiculous starting streak. Last week, Rivers picked up start number 205. Crazy stat, right? And to put things in perspective a little bit. The last time Rivers missed a start, Patrick Mahomes wasn’t even eleven-years-old, how crazy is that?
Old Man Rivers Is on a Mission
As a seven-time Pro Bowler, Phillip Rivers doesn’t have all that much more to accomplish. He is missing one critical accolade though; A Super Bowl ring. Could this be the year that he gets it? Right now, the Chargers are better than they have been in quite some time. Playoffs are in sight, and Rivers is playing some of his best football right now.
If Rivers on the same level of Mahomes right now? Not quite. The young Mahomes is the clear leader for MVP. That shouldn’t take away from Rivers’ accomplishments from this season though. Aside from his miraculous consecutive start streak, Rivers is posting a season that features his best passer rating with 114.5, 29 touchdowns (five away from his career-high), and only six interceptions (career-low for seasons where he started over three games.)
So while all of the attention is on Mahomes, keep in mind the crazy stats that Rivers is posting at the age of 37. It’s surely been a while ride for some of the NFL’s oldest quarterbacks. And while everybody is focused on big names like Tom Brady and Drew Brees, Phillip Rivers should start getting a ton of credit for his incredible season with the Chargers as well.