Iron man rivalry reignites. Can Herbert secure a Chargers spot while Rivers, back at 44, battles to keep Indy in the playoff hunt?
Justin Herbert went into Monday Night Football with a broken hand and put it all on the line to defeat the Philadelphia Eagles 22-19 and improve the Chargers to 9-4. Meanwhile, Philip Rivers is officially signing with the Indianapolis Colts practice squad at 44 years old.
What do these two things even have to do with each other?
First, it just goes to show that the Chargers and their fans should be grateful they went from one NFL iron man who would put it all on the line, to another. Second, Philip Rivers’ new job will be to keep the Colts in the AFC playoff picture — even if that means knocking the Chargers out in the process.
Indianapolis is absolutely reeling after sitting on top of the AFC not too long ago. From 8-2 down to 8-5, losing their divisional lead to Jacksonville, and now losing quarterback Daniel Jones to a torn Achilles, things are spiraling fast. Shane Steichen is turning to Philip Rivers to save the Colts from this nightmare scenario. And with the Colts owning the head-to-head tiebreaker after dominating the Chargers in SoFi earlier this season, Rivers stepping in could matter more than anyone expected.
Both Indianapolis and Los Angeles have a gauntlet ahead to close out the season.
Chargers: Chiefs, Cowboys, Texans, Broncos.
Colts: Seahawks, 49ers, Jaguars, Texans.
Both teams are fighting for wild card positioning, and both — even if unlikely — are technically still alive in their division races. So now the question becomes: Which Chargers iron man solidifies his team’s playoff spot?
As great as a Philip Rivers comeback story sounds — and yes, it feels straight out of a Disney script — it has to be expected that Indianapolis slips out of the playoff picture, while the Chargers play meaningful January football again. Rivers may only be asked to do a little while the Colts lean on Jonathan Taylor, but if teams stack the box and take Taylor away, Rivers will have to prove he can still carry an offense through a brutal stretch.
Justin Herbert, on the other hand, has shown time and time again that he can do whatever the situation requires. He can ride the run game and defense to a win. Or he can throw on the cape, ignore the pain, and carry the Chargers no matter what they throw at him.
Now the AFC has two Hall of Fame–caliber Chargers quarterbacks suiting up in the same playoff race — one trying to resurrect a season, the other trying to drag his team through a brutal schedule.
Who gets the job done?
Will both quarterbacks make the playoffs?
Four games left. Let’s see what happens.