Big jump for Chargers QB Philip Rivers on NFL’s Top 100 list

Chargers’ Philip Rivers lands on NFL’s ‘Top 100 Players’ list of 2018.

Philip Rivers is 36 years old, but he’s still playing at an extremely high level.

The veteran quarterback finished with the second-most passing yards (4,515) in 2017; it was his fifth consecutive 4,000-plus yard passing season. He also threw for 28 touchdown passes, tied for fifth, and his 10 interceptions were the lowest since his 2009 season.

Because of that, Rivers jumped up 17 spots from last year’s ranking on NFL’s Top 100 and landed at No. 56 overall. He’s now the third Charger on the list, with cornerback Casey Hayward and defensive end Melvin Ingram ranking No. 59 and No. 76, respectively.

Rivers has made the list all but once (2013–and he was snubbed that year) since it debuted in 2011. The highest he was selected was in 2011 when he ranked No. 26; the lowest he ranked was in 2017 at No. 73.

But is No. 56 the right spot for a quarterback who put up those numbers? Kirk Cousins (No. 94), Jimmy Garoppolo (No. 90), Derrick Carr (No. 60), Case Keenum (No. 51) and Deshaun Watson (No. 50) were the other quarterbacks selected thus far. As for this group, there’s no way Rivers falls behind Keenum or Watson. Keenum, a journeyman QB, had his best season as a pro with the Minnesota Vikings, leading them to the NFC title game last year; but his play isn’t on par with Rivers. As for Watson, I was a huge fan of the rookie; but how can you rank a guy who played in just seven games (landed on season-ending injured reserve with a torn ACL) above a guy who played all 16 games and put up great numbers?

Overall, Rivers should be ranked higher. Even at his age, he’s still in the conversation as a top 10 quarterback–and QBs usually go higher on these lists. It just seems as if Rivers is getting very little respect for what he accomplished last year. His 2017 season should be considered an underrated one.

Perhaps leading the Chargers back to the playoffs in 2018 will change everything.