Rivers has never been more impressive
SANTA CLARA — It wasn’t his best game. There was no triple-digit passer rating. And some of the early decisions seemed downright ridiculous.
But that was, without a doubt, the most impressive performance Philip Rivers gave all year. He dug his teammates into a hole — and single-handedly dragged them out.
This game was over. The Chargers’ season was over. San Diego trailed 28-7 at halftime, and late in the third quarter, Rivers had just tossed his third interception.
This isn’t a guy who typically gets rattled, but everyone has a breaking point – and at first glance, it appeared that No. 17 was unraveling.
It would have been understandable, too.
In his last two games, both of which were at home, Rivers underperformed as the Chargers fell to the Broncos and the Patriots. Critics pounced, questions about his composure resurfaced, and that Most Valuable Player chatter that sprung up early in the season seemed like nothing more than a dream.
So Saturday night, when it appeared as though his shortcomings were spearheading the Chargers’ exit from playoff contention, Rivers coming undone would have been basic human nature. But on this night, the man was not human.
The final stat line says that Rivers completed 33 of his 54 passes for 356 yards while throwing four touchdowns and three interceptions. But those numbers, on their own, don’t tell the story of what Philip did on the field.
The composure he showed when the season seemed lost is the kind of thing typically reserved for corny screenplays. San Diego needed a miracle, and Rivers provided it.
It started subtly, midway through the third quarter, when the Chargers trailed by 21. Rivers led a surgical 59-yard drive that ended with a one-yard touchdown pass to Antonio Gates.
A sack-fumble that Chargers defensive end Corey Liuget recovered in the end zone on San Francisco’s next possession cut the deficit to seven, and suddenly it looked like a football game. Then, 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick scrambled for a 90-yard touchdown.
With 8:55 left in the game, the Chargers were down 14 points and their chances were dismal at best.
Enter Rivers.
Starting on his own 15, Philip led a nine-play drive that, this time, ended in a 21-yard TD pass to gates. He threw on every play, completed six of his nine passes, and twice converted on third down.
The Levi’s Stadium crowd had gone silent. Soon, Rivers’ critics would, too.
After forcing a three-and-out, the Chargers got the ball back on their own 20 with 3:30 to play. Ten-yard pass to Malcom Floyd, first down. Eleven-yard pass to Ronnie Brown, first down.
It appeared as though San Diego might just glide into the end zone, but then Rivers was sacked at the San Francisco 43, forcing a fourth-and-8 with 1:35 to go.
No problem. Rivers completed a 26-yard pass to a diving Eddie Royal to keep the drive, game, and year alive.
Three incompletions later...another fourth down -- this one from the 49ers’ 26 with 54 seconds to play.
No problem. Rivers completed a 17-yard pass to Dontrelle Inman for another first down.
Two plays later, Rivers connected with Floyd for an 11-yard TD pass that tied the game.
One drive later, with the help of some key runs from Brown, the Chargers won 38-35 in overtime via a 40-yard field goal by Nick Novak.
We’ve seen magic from Rivers before. We saw him throw two touchdown passes in the final four minutes to beat Baltimore in Week 13. We saw him throw a 26-yard strike to Seyi Ajirotutu with 24 seconds left in Kansas City last year, leading the Chargers to another improbable victory. This is the guy who is 30-5 in the final four weeks of the season for his career, so obviously heroics are nothing new.
But there was something different about Saturday night in Santa Clara. This one was special.
Philip Rivers wasn’t his best. He’s also never been better.
Chargers v. 49ers 12/20/2014
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