When it comes to quarterbacks, the Los Angeles Chargers have quite a few who have had prolific careers. Nonetheless, there is one that stands out above the rest: Philip Rivers. While nine Chargers QBs ultimately made Bleacher Report’s list of the top 99 QBs of all time, Rivers was ranked 32nd, behind Dan Fouts, Johnny Unitas, and Drew Brees. For some though, he may not have been ranked high enough. The reasoning behind his ranking is equally ridiculous.
When one looks at Rivers’ stats, they see someone who consistently ranks amongst the top 10 all time in multiple stats. He is currently eighth in total passing yards and sixth in total passing touchdowns. However, the main reason that 31 quarterbacks are ranked higher than him is quite simple: they have all won Super Bowls.
The Super Bowl Standard vs. Statistical Dominance
That could be perfectly reasonable for those making the list, but for fans everywhere, the stats could matter more. In fact, when you look at Rivers’ stats through the lens of his draft class in 2004, he doesn’t really lag behind stats wise. The only thing separating him from both Roethlisberger and Eli Manning is that both have won Super Bowls.
Roethlisberger ranked 16th on the list and Manning 24th. Yet Rivers has a better career passer rating, completion percentage, and has more passing touchdowns than both. He also has made more Pro Bowl appearances with eight.
For many, Manning may not even be in their top 20 quarterbacks of all time. Still, he won two big games against perhaps the best QB of all time in Tom Brady, while the closest Rivers ever got was coming up short in the ’07 AFC Championship Game, when he lost to Brady. Even someone like Roethlisberger could be borderline for several people, but Super Bowl XLIII lives on in a lot of people’s minds.
Legacy Beyond Rings
The crazy thing is Rivers isn’t even the highest ranked Chargers QB who hasn’t won a Super Bowl. That would be Dan Fouts, who may just be one of the NFL’s most loyal QBs. In his 15 seasons in the league, he never once played for another team. As a result, he still leads the franchise in total passing yards and total touchdowns thrown.
In fact, of the top 20, there are two QBs that made it without winning a Super Bowl: the Vikings‘ Fran Tarkenton and the Dolphins’ Dan Marino.
For the most part, Super Bowls are an integral criteria, because as the quarterback of a franchise, winning matters. Rivers however, is a highly interesting case. He may not have those awards and accolades others have, but he ranks higher than most of the people in front of him in important stats that people discuss when they talk about QBs.
Philip Rivers will probably go down as the most famous Charger of all time. 31 other quarterbacks in NFL history were viewed better than him. Some will take it with a grain of salt, while others will make arguments that he could have been higher. The bottom line is at the very least, he will stand the test of time.
Christopher Sheppard Christopher Sheppard is a passionate and knowledgeable sports journalist based in Englewood, NJ pursuing a role in the sports media industry. He covers the NFL for Heavy Sports, focusing on the Dolphins, Chargers, and Buccanneers. More about Christopher Sheppard
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