While the entire NFL is talking about Patrick Mahomes vs. Drew Brees as Most Valuable Player, there's a player in Los Angeles who is playing his way into MVP talks as a dark horse. No, it isn't Todd Gurley. It's Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers, who got a lot of attention during an absolutely masterful performance against the Cardinals on Sunday.
Rivers completed 28 of 29 passes for 259 yards and three touchdowns. He didn't throw an incompletion until midway through the third quarter. He completed 25 straight passes, the most in NFL history for a single game. Chargers defensive end Joey Bosa had strong feelings about Rivers' performance.
"It was unbelievable," Bosa said, via Chargers.com. "We were cheering. The 25th was the one to (wide receiver Keenan Allen) on the sideline, and (when) he missed one, I was giving him a little hard time about it. I made a three-second attempt to get an MVP chant going on the sideline for (Rivers). It's unbelievable. I don't care what anybody says about him. He's my quarterback and I'm really happy to have him back there."
While Sunday was arguably Rivers' best game of the season, it was hardly an anomaly. He's been slinging all year. Rivers is completing 69.5 percent of his passes (tied for a career-high), he has 3,119 yards (on pace for 4,536 yards), 26 touchdowns and six interceptions. Even more importantly: The Chargers are just a game back of Mahomes and the Chiefs in the AFC West and face the Steelers on Sunday night (8:20 p.m., NBC, stream on fuboTV, try for free). It's been an amazing year for the veteran, and one or two more games like this one could put Rivers right up in MVP talks.