P-Riv Update: Week 10

Wow,

This is going to be the most difficult Weekly P-Riv Update ever. Words could not possibly express the job our man, Philip Rivers, did Sunday in front of raucous fans at Paul Brown Stadium. In honor of Philip, I will give a valiant effort.

Willful. Proud. Resilient. Intrepid. Gritty. Resolute. Stubborn. Heartrending. Strong. Tough. Spirited. Blissful.

All these words were personified by Sir Rivers on Sunday afternoon.

After having their secondary shredded by Carson Palmer, the Chargers found themselves down 28-7 at halftime. “We had several breakdowns in our coverage,” safety Marlon McCree said. “They weren’t beating us in man, we just blew some assignments." The usage of such words as "several" and "some" are not applicable in his statement. Time and time again, I felt anguish as the Cincinnati Felons added TD's in the first half.

Coming out of halftime, my Chargers finally got a stop. P-Riv led his offense 69 yards in just six plays to make it a 28-14 game. Okay, 14 points. This is doable. Can our defense make 2 stops in a row? Yes. Three and out, punt, first play from scrimmage, our man hit Malcom Floyd for a 46-yard touchdown. We hold them to a field goal. Rivers then makes it 3 for 3 on 3rd quarter drives with a nine-play, 80-yard drive capped by a nine-yard TD pass to tight end, Big Brandon Manumaleuna. It's now a one possession game. Whoops, no one covers Ocho Cinco. Palmer to Johnson for a 74 yard TD pass making it a 10 point game.

Following LT's 3rd TD of the day, the Chargers' defense came up with the big play they had to make to counter the lack of plays they had made leading up to that point. On 1st-and-10 from the Cincinnati 20, linebacker Shaun Phillips sacked Carson, forced him to fumble, AND recovered the loose ball. LT needed just one play to score from nine yards out, giving my Chargers a 42-38 lead.

After a 44-yard field goal by the Felons to make it a one-point game, Rivers took the field and delivered what tight end Antonio Gates called “a little magic.” But it's not magic. It's Rivers. He has an unquenchable thirst for winning, an unsurpassed love of the game, and an unrivaled spirit of success.

Rivers capped a 12-play, 72-yard drive by flipping the ball to Manumaleuna again for a five-yard touchdown, giving the Chargers a 49-41 advantage. This is a play that will be shown for many years to come, a play like the ones I enjoyed for 4 years at N.C. State, a play that will begin to define Mr. Rivers. He is the quintessence of a winner.

I think LT likes having P-Riv on his team. “Every week he continues to really amaze us,” Tomlinson said of Mr. Rivers. “He’s a young guy, but he makes so many smart decisions that you don’t expect a young guy to make. Every week it’s like he grows more and more. The guy is playing terrific for us.” I’d say that is a vote of confidence from the leading MVP candidate in the league.

Rivers finished the day 24 of 36 for 337 yards, 3 touchdowns and no interceptions. He helped the Chargers go 8 of 9 on 3rd downs in the 2nd half, most of which were 3rd and long. But most important, he led my Chargers back from the grave to victory. They now sit at 7-2 after week 10 getting ready to face another tough road test against the Denver Broncos on Sunday Night Football.

Don’t ever count Philip Rivers out.

GO CHARGERS!!!