Philip Rivers had a chance to prove he still had it in him and failed, once again.
It’s hard to say that and for fans of the Los Angeles Chargers, it has to be even harder to read that. But the facts, or in this case the play on the field, is starting to speak for itself.
As commentator Booger McFarland stated during the late stages of Monday night’s loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, Rivers had a chance to show he still had it in him and in fact, he was given multiple chances to do that.
The Chargers’ defense did a great job slowing down the normally high-powered Chiefs offense and getting the ball back to Rivers, but he couldn’t make the plays that needed to be made. The Chargers’ last two possessions both ended with him throwing to a player that was well covered and the ball ending up in the hands of a Kansas City defender.
As stated here, we’ve seen this movie before. And sadly, it’s starting to look like one of those reruns on a station like USA or TNT that is on far too often. It’s sad and frustrating all at the same time.
Is this the end of an era? It’s certainly starting to feel like it. Rivers has thrown 14 interceptions this season. Only Jameis Winston has thrown more.
Over the next several weeks, the biggest question surrounding the Chargers will be the future of Rivers as the team’s starting quarterback. No one thought that would be as big of an issue as it has become when this season started, but here we are.
Whether or not Rivers is the starter next year is a discussion that will be had soon enough but in the more immediate future, what about Rivers’ consecutive starts streak?
Rivers has started every single game for the Chargers since the beginning to the 2006 season and it’s hard to imagine that the team would just bench him in the manner that Ben McAdoo did to Eli Manning to end his consecutive starts streak.
Rest assured, the end is in sight for Rivers. It’s just a matter of when the team decides to see it. Rivers is a free agent at the end of the season. Will the team decide to bring him back on a short-term deal? Will Rivers decide that he wants to call it quits?
The quarterbacks from his draft class, who he will be forever connected to, are closing in on the end as well. Manning is a backup with the New York Giants and Ben Roethlisberger has missed almost the entire season with an elbow injury.
Each of them could choose to call it a career this offseason as well.
Rivers is sitting at 219 consecutive starts, which is second-most in NFL history. That streak means something, but where does the team stand on wanting to see a new quarterback on the field?
The Chargers could very well be looking at having a quarterback other than Rivers as the starter next season. Is there any chance the team would like to see Tyrod Taylor or even Easton Stick take a chance at getting some reps before the season ends?
It’s hard to even have that discussion and it’s likely that Rivers, one of the most respected players in team history, will have a lot of say in when that move will be made. After all, he has earned that much.
But there are a couple of things to consider when talking about ending the starts streak.
First, this team is now 4-7. It is not making the playoffs. In addition, Rives is not going to break the record of 297 consecutive starts held by Brett Favre, a mark that may be the unreachable star in terms of NFL records.
Still, it seems unlikely that the Chargers would start either Taylor or Stick in any game this season. However, in 2020, that could be a much different story.
How much longer will Rivers be “the guy” for the Chargers? He has at least five more games ahead of him in a Chargers uniform, but there is a decent chance that those will be his final five games with the team.