One of the National Football League’s pre-eminent quarterbacks, Philip Rivers returns for his 14th season with the Chargers and his 12th as the team’s starting signal-caller.
A six-time Pro Bowl selection, a seven-time team MVP and a member of the Chargers’ 50th Anniversary All-Time Team, Rivers heads into 2017, ranked eighth in NFL history in touchdown passes (314) and 12th in passing yards (45,833). All-time, he also ranks eighth in passer rating (94.7), 10th in completions (3,811) and completion percentage (64.4) and 15th in attempts (5,917).
Besides his standing as one of the NFL’s all-time greats, Rivers holds a total of 21 team records and he shares two others.
Rivers is 97-79 (.551) as a starter during his career. He’s led the Chargers to four AFC West titles and taken the team to the playoffs five times. His win-loss ledger includes a 56-32 (.636) mark at home and 37-29 (.561) in AFC West games.
Rivers earned his sixth Pro Bowl nod in 2016 after tossing 33 touchdown passes, fourth in the NFL, and throwing for 4,386 yards, fifth in the League. Along the way, he completed a career-high 16 passes of 40 yards or longer, second in the NFL, and he posted a near-perfect passer rating (152.2) on game-opening drives as he completed 43-of-54 for 629 yards with six touchdowns and no interceptions.
One of the NFL’s fiercest competitors on the field, Rivers is one of the League’s kindest souls off the field. While wife Tiffany and the couple’s eight children come first in his life, Rivers has a large community presence, especially when it comes to foster children and those suffering from life-threatening illnesses. More often than not, Rivers dotes on these youngsters away from the glare of the camera.
Rivers was a finalist for the 2011 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award for his work with the Rivers of Hope Foundation, an endeavor he and Tiffany oversaw from 2010-12. The Foundation helped unwanted, abandoned and orphaned children, and raised more than $1,000,000 through football camps, a 5K Fun Run and personal contributions. The Foundation also supported the San Pasqual Academy, a residential education campus designed specifically for foster teens. In 2014, Rivers helped raise more than $112,000 for San Diego’s Ronald McDonald House through the “Passing it On” campaign.
Rivers is a devout Catholic. In May 2014, he was invited to deliver the commencement speech to graduating seniors at Catholic University in Washington, D.C. The University also presented him with an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree. It was the second time he was asked to deliver a commencement speech. In May 2012, he did so at his alma mater, North Carolina State University.
Rivers and his wife, Tiffany, grew up together in Alabama. They were married after his freshman season at N.C. State. They have eight children - six girls and two boys.
Rivers’ brother, Stephen, played college football as a quarterback at LSU and Vanderbilt before finishing his career at Northwestern State, La., in 2015.
Rivers grew up in Decatur, Ala. His dad, Steve, a former linebacker at Mississippi State, was the head football coach at Decatur High School and Philip was a water boy for the team. Rivers found his passion for the game by watching his dad up close and from backyard games in which the future Chargers signal-caller would mark out a field using chalk and pylons borrowed from the equipment room at Decatur High.
Shortly before Philip was set to enroll at Decatur, Steve took the head coaching job at nearby Athens High School and Philip followed. He played linebacker as a sophomore and moved to quarterback as a junior. After graduation, he enrolled at N.C. State where he led the Wolfpack to four bowl games and a 34-17 record, including 3-1 in bowl games. A five-time MVP in Bowl games, including the 2004 Senior Bowl, Rivers is still the Wolfpack’s all-time leader for career passing yards (13,484), attempts (1,710), completions (1,087), touchdowns (95), completion percentage (63.6%), and 300 (19) and 400-yard games (seven). His passing yardage total still ranks 10th all-time among Division-I quarterbacks.
In April 2016, Rivers returned to the N.C. State campus in Raleigh, N.C., for alumni weekend and while there, he delivered a fiery pep-talk to the Wolfpack prior to their annual Kay Yow Spring Game that went viral on social media.
Rivers originally came to the Chargers in 2004 in a blockbuster trade with the New York Giants. Less than an hour after the Bolts selected Eli Manning with the No. 1 pick in the ’04 NFL Draft; Manning was on his way to the Big Apple in exchange for Rivers and a slew of draft picks.
Rivers spent most of his first two years on the bench behind Drew Brees before taking the reigns in 2006. That season, Rivers was voted to the Pro Bowl after leading the Chargers to a team-record 14 wins, including 10-straight to close out the season. The Chargers finished undefeated at home for the first time in team history and scored a team-record 492 points. In November, Rivers became the first quarterback in NFL history to rally a team from 17-point deficits in consecutive weeks and he led 19 straight scoring drives that ended in touchdowns, a team record and the fifth-longest streak in NFL history.
Rivers led the Chargers to the AFC Championship Game in 2007. His toughness – both mental and physical – was put on full display in the final weeks of the regular season and the playoffs. During a December victory in Tennessee, he had to leave the game briefly after spraining his knee in the first half. He returned in the second half and led the Chargers to a come-from-behind, overtime victory. Rivers continued to play the final month of the season in severe pain. Things got worse five weeks later when he suffered a torn ACL during the Bolts’ Divisional Playoff game in Indianapolis. Backup Billy Volek replaced Rivers and led the Chargers to an improbable win over the Colts. Rivers, meanwhile, had arthroscopic surgery to repair a torn ACL the day after the win over Indianapolis, and just six days later he started and took every snap on a frigid day in the AFC Championship Game at New England.
In 2008, Rivers threw a team-record 34 touchdown passes, tied for most in the NFL. He recorded his first 4,000-yard season and led the league with a team-record passer rating of 105.5. Rivers threw an NFL-best 15 touchdown passes on third down and helped the Chargers score an NFL-leading 152 points in the fourth quarter. He logged six 300-yard games, the most by a Chargers quarterback since 1985, and he became the first Bolts quarterback since 1991 to do so in consecutive games. Rivers capped off 2008 with a sensational December, leading the Chargers to the playoffs with a 4-0 mark to improve his career record in December to 14-0.
In 2009, Rivers was one of just five quarterbacks to throw for more than 4,000 yards, toss 25 or more touchdowns and record a season passer rating above 100.0. Four times — tied with Brett Favre for most in the NFL — he posted a single-game passer rating of 130.0 or better. During an 11-game win streak to close out the regular season, Rivers threw 21 touchdown strikes and completed 69.0 percent of his passes. His cumulative passer rating during those 11 weeks (112.0) was tops in the NFL. By the end of 2009, Rivers had thrown 105 touchdown passes to only 44 interceptions, the best-ever touchdown-to-interception ratio by an NFL quarterback in his first four years as a starter.
In 2010, Rivers threw for an NFL-leading 4,710 yards. It was the 10th-most yards in a season in NFL history and the third-most in team history. Rivers had six 300-yard games, including a then team-record 455 against Seattle. His third 4,000-yard season tied Dan Fouts for most in team history. In the first eight games of the season, Rivers threw for 2,649 yards, an NFL record for the first half of a season, breaking yet another mark which Fouts (2,580) had set in 1982. Rivers also led the NFL with 66 completions 20 yards or longer, including 12 that went for touchdowns. Those were the second-most in the NFL. He completed a team-record 66 percent of his passes and ranked second in the NFL in passer rating (101.8). It capped a 2008-10 stretch in which he was the only quarterback in the league to post a season passer rating over 100.0 each season. Rivers joined Steve Young and Peyton Manning as the only passers ever to post a rating of 100.0 or higher three straight years. Rivers threw 30 touchdown passes in 2010 and became the first quarterback in team history with 25 or more in three-straight seasons. It included a team-record stretch of 23 straight games with a touchdown pass, breaking Fouts’ mark of 20 straight (1979-80). During the streak, Rivers joined Fouts (1985) and Brees (2004) as the only Chargers’ quarterbacks with back-to-back four-touchdown games.
Rivers completed a then team-record 366 passes and threw for 4,624 yards in 2011, joining Dan Marino (1980-81), Warren Moon (1990-91), Manning (2009-10) and Brees (2010-11) as the only players in NFL history with back-to-back 4,500-yard seasons. Rivers also joined Manning (1999-04 and 2006-10) and Brees (2006-11) as the only quarterbacks with at least four-straight 4,000-yard seasons.
In 2012, Rivers passed for 3,606 yards, ending a run of four straight 4,000-yard seasons. He threw 26 touchdown passes, extending his streak of 25-touchdown seasons to five.
Rivers was named NFL Comeback Player of the Year in 2013 after leading the Chargers to a 9-7 mark. He was selected to the Pro Bowl and named team MVP, both for the fifth time in his career. Rivers completed a team-record and NFL-leading 69.5 pct. of his passes for 4,478 yards and 32 touchdowns with 11 interceptions for a team record-tying 105.5 passer rating. He completed a team-record 378 passes and set a team record with three 400-yard passing games, becoming the first quarterback to throw for more than 400 yards in consecutive games. Rivers also passed for more than 390 yards four times, tying Marino (1984) and Joe Montana (1990) for the most in a season in NFL history. And in another historical context, Rivers joined Favre (2009) and Brees (2011) as the only quarterbacks in NFL history to complete at least 20 passes and 80 percent of their pass attempts three times in a season.
Rivers performed at an all-star level once again in 2014. He led the Chargers to nine wins, including an early-season victory over the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks. That win over the Seahawks launched an NFL-record run of five straight games where Rivers posted a passer rating above 120, besting the previous mark of four games set by Johnny Unitas (1965) and Kurt Warner (2009). A Pro Bowl second-alternate, Rivers was named the team’s most valuable player for the sixth time in his career after passing for 4,286 yards and 31 touchdowns.
There was no letup in Rivers’ game in 2015 as he led the NFL and set new franchise marks for single-season completions (437) and attempts (661). The team’s Most Valuable Player for the seventh time in his career and a Pro Bowl alternate, Rivers finished the 2015 season with 4,792 passing yards, second-most in the NFL, and second in a season in team history. He fell just 10 yards shy of matching Fouts’ 1981 franchise record of 4,802 yards.
TRANSACTION HISTORY: First-round pick (4th overall) by New York Giants, April 24, 2004…traded to Chargers, April 24…signed six-year contract, Aug. 24...signed six-year extension thru 2015, Aug. 24, 2009...agreed to four-year extension thru 2019, Aug. 17, 2015
2017: Selected to his seventh Pro Bowl, but did not participate and was replaced by Kansas City QB Alex Smith…Named AFC Offensive Player of the Week for his efforts in a Week 12 win against the Cowboys: 27-of-33 passing (81.8 pct.) for 434 yards and three TDs (149.1 passer rating)…Was voted by fans as the FedEx Air Player of the Week for his performance…Named AFC Offensive Player of the Week and was voted FedEx Air Player of the Week for the second time following his performance in a Week 17 win against the Raiders: 28-of-37 (75.7 pct.) for 387 yards and three TDs (135.8 passer rating)…One of only two players (New England QB Tom Brady) in 2017 to win the AFC Offensive Player of the Week award multiple times…Started all 16 games at QB, bringing his career total and consecutive games started streak to 192, the longest active starting streak in the NFL…Registered the 100th win of his career in the second contest against Denver, becoming the 15th player in NFL history and fifth active player to reach the century mark…Improved his mark to 106 regular-season wins, passing Hall of Fame QBs Jim Kelly (101) and Warren Moon (102) for sole possession of 13th in NFL history…Threw for 4,515 yards and 28 TDs with 10 INTs on 360-of-575 passing (62.6 pct.) for a 96.0 passer rating, marking his 12th consecutive season with 3,000-plus passing yards and his 10th straight season with 3,500-plus passing yards, joining Peyton Manning and Drew Brees (13 seasons) as the only quarterbacks in NFL history to reach 3,500 passing yards in 10-plus consecutive seasons…It also marked his ninth season with 4,000 plus yards, joining Peyton Manning (14), Drew Brees (12) and Tom Brady (nine) as the only quarterbacks in NFL history to top 4,000 yards in nine or more seasons…Topped 400 yards once, marking the ninth game with 400-plus passing yards in his career…The 434-yard performance made him the second quarterback in NFL history to throw for 400-plus yards on the road in Dallas on Thanksgiving (Washington QB Kirk Cousins, 449 in 2016)…Threw for 300-plus yards six times, bringing his career total to 57 games…Posted four games with three passing TDs, putting him at 52 games with three-plus TD passes for his career…In seven games, posted a passer rating greater than 105 and registered a rating better than 100 in nine games, including one game with a passer rating of 149.1 (third highest of career)…Threw a TD to TE Antonio Gates in the home opener that marked his 85th thrown to Gates, the most by a quarterback-tight end duo in NFL history and tied Hall of Famers Steve Young and Jerry Rice for No. 2 among any quarterback and receiver combination in league annals…Broke the tie with Young and Rice with a TD pass to Gates in the second matchup with Kansas City for sole possession of No. 2 among any quarterback-receiver combination in league annals, trailing only Peyton Manning and Marvin Harrison (112 TDs)…Threw the 87th TD of his career to Gates at the Jets on Christmas Eve…Became the 10th player in NFL history to top 49,000 passing yards and ninth to top 50,000, finishing the season at No. 9 on the all-time passing list with 50,348 career regular-season passing yards…Against the Patriots, eclipsed 50,000 career passing yards in the regular and postseason combined, the 10th player in league annals to do so…Finished the season with 4,171 career completions, good for No. 7 in league history…Moved into a tie for sixth in NFL history with Hall of Fame QB Fran Tarkenton with 342 career passing TDs…His 7.76 career yards-per-pass attempt ranks second to Ben Roethlisberger (7.86) all time among quarterbacks with 40,000-plus career passing yards…In the first matchup with the Raiders, posted the 24th fourth quarter comeback victory in his career, and his 10th in the final two minutes…Appeared on 1,028 of 1,064 offensive snaps, ranking third among Chargers offensive players…Awards: Pro Bowl Selection (Seventh)…AFC Offensive Player of the Week (Weeks 12 and 17)…FedEx Air Player of the Week (Weeks 12 and 17)…at Denver (Sept. 11): Started his 12th-consecutive season opener...Posted 22 completions on 33 passing attempts (66.7 pct.) for 192 yards and three TDs with an INT (99.6 passer rating)…Completed passes to six different receivers…It marked the 49th game with three-plus TD passes in his career and the third time in the season-opening contest…On the first TD, took a shotgun snap at the Denver 11-yard line and stepped up in the pocket to find RB Melvin Gordon on an angle-route in stride before Gordon leapt over S Justin Simmons to reach the end zone…After an interception by S Adrian Phillips, led the Chargers on a drive that culminated a five-yard TD pass to WR Keenan Allen in the middle of the end zone on a seam-route that beat CB Chris Harris Jr. …Threw his third TD of the day one play after LB Korey Toomer forced a fumble that was recovered by CB Casey Hayward…Took the snap from the Denver 38-yard line and threw a deep pass to WR Travis Benjamin in the end zone along the left sideline after Benjamin sped past S Darian Stewart…vs. Miami (Sept. 17): Posted a 110.6 passer rating, connecting on 31-of-39 passes (79.5 pct.) for 331 yards and a TD…Completed passes to seven different receivers…Marked the 52nd game of his career and first of the season to throw for 300-plus passing yards…His 79.5 completion percentage ranked ninth in his career at the time and was only his fourth game with a completion percentage above 79 when throwing 30-plus pass attempts…Hit TE Antonio Gates in the third quarter on a seven-yard seam route for Gates’ 112th career TD reception, breaking a tie with Hall of Fame TE Tony Gonzalez for the most receiving TDs by a tight end in NFL history…The score marked the 85th thrown to Gates, which ranks as the most all-time by a quarterback-tight end combination and tied with Hall of Famers Steve Young and Jerry Rice for No. 2 between any quarterback and receiver combination…Earlier in the game, completed a four-yard pass to Gates for Gates’ 900th career reception…vs. Kansas City (Sept. 24): Completed 20-of-40 attempts (50.0 pct.) with three INTs (37.2 passer rating)…Tied a then-season-high by completing passes to seven different receivers…vs. Philadelphia (Oct. 1): Registered his 180th start (all consecutive), the most in team annals…Posted a 105.9 passer rating, the second of 105-plus on the season, on 22-of-38 passing (57.9 pct.) for 347 yards and two TDs…Completed passes to a season-high nine different receivers…The 347 passing yards were good for his 53rd career game with 300-plus yards…Opened the scoring for Los Angeles on the first play of the team’s fourth drive by hitting WR Tyrell Williams in stride on a deep post-pattern for a 75-yard TD…It marked the fourth-longest pass of his career, with each of them going for scores…Tossed his second TD to bring the Chargers within two in the fourth quarter, hitting TE Hunter Henry on a four-yard score in the back of the end zone…The score was the 320th TD pass of his career…It marked his 106th game played with multiple TD passes…at New York Giants (Oct. 8): Posted his 50th game with three-plus TD passes, throwing for three TDs and 258 yards on 21-of-44 passing (47.7 pct.) with an INT (79.5 passer rating)…With an 11-yard pass to TE Antonio Gates, surpassed 47,000 career yards, the 11th player in league annals to do so…The play also moved him into 10th in career passing yards, passing Hall of Fame QB Fran Tarkenton (47,003), ending the game with 47,198…Hit RB Melvin Gordon for two passing TDs and TE Hunter Henry for another…Found Gordon early in the second quarter in the right flat for a six-yard score on second-and-goal…With less than a minute in the third quarter, threw a 25-yard strike to Henry in the left corner of the end zone over the top of three Giants defenders to give the Chargers the lead…Trailing by two with just over three minutes remaining, motioned Gordon next to him in the shotgun, hitting the running back in the right flat again for a 10-yard score on third-and-nine to take the lead for good…It was the 23rd fourth quarter comeback victory of his career and the first since an overtime victory over Atlanta (Oct. 23, 2016)…It also marked his first come-from-behind victory with three-plus TD passes since an overtime win against San Francisco (Dec. 20, 2014)…at Oakland (Oct. 15): Started at QB, his 182nd consecutive start and appeared on all 65 offensive snaps…Started a game-winning drive with just over four minutes remaining in the fourth quarter to register his 24th fourth quarter come-from-behind victory in his career…It marked the 10th time he has done so in the final two minutes…Finished with 268 passing yards and a TD on 25-of-36 passing (69.4 pct.) for a passer rating of 100.2, his third of 100-plus on the season…Completed a 15-yard third down pass to WR Mike Williams in the fourth quarter for Williams’ first NFL catch…Later in the same drive, found RB Melvin Gordon on a screen pass for a six-yard TD to take a 14-10 lead with just over 10 minutes to play…Down 16-14, started the game-winning drive by lofting a pass over S Karl Joseph to TE Hunter Henry for a 34-yard gain…Found Henry two plays later for a 23-yard gain to the Oakland 33-yard line…Centered the ball with four seconds remaining on the Oakland 24-yard line to set up a 32-yard, game-winning field goal by K Nick Novak…vs. Denver (Oct. 22): Started his 183rd straight game at QB, seeing action on all 58 offensive snaps…Registered the 100th win of his career, becoming the 15th player in league history and fifth active player to reach the century mark…Completed 15 passes out of 26 attempts (57.7 pct.) for 183 yards and two TDs (105.1 passer rating)…It marked the third game with a passer rating greater than 105 and fourth of the season over 100…Drew the Denver defense offsides for a free play in the second quarter, finding WR Keenan Allen on a corner-route for a 19-yard gain to the Denver one-yard line…On the next play, completed a swing-pass to RB Austin Ekeler in the left flat for a one-yard TD…In the fourth quarter, completed a 13-yard strike to TE Hunter Henry on third-and-11 to keep the drive alive…Found WR Travis Benjamin later in the fourth quarter on a slant-route that went for a 42-yard score for his second TD…at New England (Oct. 29): Started at QB, marking the 184th consecutive start for his career…Completed 17 passes of 30 attempts (56.7 pct.) for 212 yards and a TD with an INT (76.0 passer rating)…Found WR Travis Benjamin on a go-route down the right sideline in the fourth quarter for a 24-yard score to bring the Chargers within five points…Completed passes to eight different receivers…at Jacksonville (Nov. 12): Started the 185th game of his career at QB…Posted 21 completions on 37 attempts (56.8 pct.) for 235 yards and two TDs with an INT (82.6 passer rating)…Registered his fifth completion of the game in the second quarter to Mike Williams for a 20-yard gain on a post-route…It marked completion No. 3,989 for his career, passing Hall of Fame QB Warren Moon (3,988) for the eighth-most, at the time, in league annals…Found RB Austin Ekeler in the right flat twice for a pair of scores (28-yarder in second quarter and 22-yarder in third quarter)…vs. Buffalo (Nov. 19): Appeared in the 190th game of his career, registering his 186th consecutive start at QB…Tied Hall of Fame QB Jim Kelly with 101 career regular-season wins for 14th in NFL history…Threw for 251 yards and two TDs on 20-of-32 passing (62.5 pct.) for a 107.7 passer rating through three quarters before being removed with a substantial lead…at Dallas (Nov. 23): Named AFC Offensive Player of the Week for his efforts and was voted by fans as the FedEx Air Player of the Week…Registered 434 yards and three TDs on 27-of-33 passing (81.8 pct.) for a 149.1 passer rating…Became the second road quarterback to throw for 400-plus yards at Dallas on Thanksgiving (Washington QB Kirk Cousins, 2016)…It marked the ninth game of his career to throw for 400-plus yards, the 54th game with 300-plus yards and 51st game with three-plus TD passes…The 149.1 passer rating was the third-highest of his career and his highest since 2010…His 81.8 completion percentage ranked No. 8 in his career and fourth with at least 30 pass attempts…Threaded the ball to TE Hunter Henry early in the game, dropping it over the head of LB Justin Durant and in front of CB Orlando Scandrick for a 17-yard completion…Opened the scoring in the third quarter with a three-yard TD pass to Henry after going through his progressions to find the tight end posted up in front of S Byron Jones in the middle of the end zone…Later on, found WR Tyrell Williams on a go-route down the right sideline in the front of the end zone, floating the pass over the top of CB Anthony Brown for a 27-yard TD…Capped the offensive scoring in the fourth quarter by completing a 42-yard TD to WR Keenan Allen after the receiver broke a couple of tackles and juked past two defenders…The win brought his career total to 102 regular-season wins, passing Hall of Fame QB Jim Kelly (101) and tying Hall of Fame QB Warren Moon for 13th in NFL history…vs. Cleveland (Dec. 3): Posted career regular-season win No. 103, breaking a tie with Hall of Fame QB Warren Moon for sole possession of 13th in league annals…Brought his season total above 3,000 passing yards for the 12th consecutive year and eclipsed 49,000 career passing yards with a 344-yard performance…Started at QB for the 188th straight game, becoming the longest active starting streak…Totaled the 344 yards and a TD on 31-of-43 passing (72.1 pct.) for a 103.2 passer rating…It marked the 55th 300-yard game of his career…Appeared on all 70 offensive snaps…Extended a first quarter play by rolling to his right, giving TE Hunter Henry time to get on his feet after being knocked to the ground by a defender before throwing a 12-yard completion to the tight end for a first down…Threw the 335th TD of his career, good for seventh all time, to WR Keenan Allen in the third quarter on a third-and-goal on a seam-route…vs. Washington (Dec. 10): Completed 18-of-31 passes (58.1 pct.) for 319 yards and two TDs (114.9 passer rating) after starting at QB for the 189th time in his career…Played 57 snaps on offense…Passed Hall of Fame QB Warren Moon (49,324) for ninth on the all-time passing list, finishing the game with 49,444 for his career…Found TE Hunter Henry open on a crossing-route in the back of the end zone in the first quarter for an eight-yard TD pass…Found WR Tyrell Williams in stride with separation from CB Josh Norman and S D.J. Swearinger for a 75-yard TD in the second quarter…Ran a flea flicker with RB Melvin Gordon in the third quarter, finding WR Keenan Allen on a go-route down the right sideline for a 51-yard gain to the Washington one-yard line…at Kansas City (Dec. 16): Started the 190th game of his career at QB, extending his consecutive start streak…Played all 64 snaps on offense…Completed 20 passes of 36 attempts (55.6 pct.) for 227 yards and a TD with three INTs (49.2 passer rating)…Threw a 10-yard TD pass to TE Antonio Gates in the third quarter for the 86th career TD between them, breaking a tie with Hall of Famers Steve Young and Jerry Rice for second among TDs between a quarterback-receiver combo to trail only Peyton Manning and Marvin Harrison (112)…at New York Jets (Dec. 24): Extended his starting streak to 191 games, opening at QB and playing all 73 snaps on offense…Registered 22 completions on 40 attempts (55.0 pct.) for 290 yards and a TD (86.5 passer rating), passing Hall of Fame QB John Elway (4,123) for eighth on the all-time completions list…Surpassed 4,000 passing yards for the season, marking his ninth season eclipsing the 4,000-yard mark…Joined Peyton Manning (14), Drew Brees (12) and Tom Brady (nine) as the only four quarterbacks in league annals to accomplish that feat…Fired a three-yard TD to TE Antonio Gates on a seam-route in the second quarter, marking his 87th to Gates…In the fourth quarter, lobbed a pass into a soft spot of the zone between three Jets defenders to find WR Keenan Allen on a deep out-route for a 20-yard gain on third-and-eight…vs. Oakland (Dec. 31): Named AFC Offensive Player of the Week for his efforts and was voted by fans as the FedEx Air Player of the Week…Started at QB, marking his 192nd consecutive start, playing 66 snaps…Completed 28 passes on 37 attempts (75.7 pct.) for 387 yards and three TDs (135.8 passer rating)…Added a five-yard scramble on third-and-four in the third quarter…Stepped up in the pocket to avoid pressure to find WR Tyrell Williams behind the defense for a 56-yard TD in the second quarter…To close out the first half, threw a six-yard TD to WR Keenan Allen on a fade-route in the back right corner of the end zone…Fired his third TD of the day to WR Travis Benjamin, going over the top on third-and-12 for a 62-yard score…In the fourth quarter, stood tall in the pocket despite Oakland blitzing seven defenders to find Allen open on an out-route for a 27-yard gain.
2016: Pro Bowl...originally second-alternate...Team Captain...FedEx Air NFL Player of Week after tying career high with four TD passes in 38-14 win over Jacksonville Sept. 18...completed 12 of 15 with two touchdowns in first half to help Bolts to 21-0 lead...two longest TD passes covered 44 and 45 yards...first game since Sept. 14, 2008 with two TD passes longer than 44 yards...late in game, 10-yard scramble on 3rd-and-5 sustained drive that ended with 45-yard TD pass to Travis Benjamin...threw first interception of season Oct. 2 vs. New Orleans...ended string of 141 pass attempts without interception to start season...was longest such stretch in franchise history...completed first nine passes of Saints game for 157 yards and two touchdowns...at halftime was 14 of 17 for 199 yards with two scores and 154.7 rating...tied career high with four touchdown passes Oct. 9 at Oakland...raised career total to 292 to move past Johnny Unitas (290) and Warren Moon (291) and into ninth place all-time...passed for 359 yards for third straight 300-yard game...matched career high with three completions of 50 yards or longer (Oct. 25, 2009 at Kansas City)...hooked up with Hunter Henry for 59 yards, Travis Benjamin for 54 and Tyrell Williams for 50...marked first time since Oct. 20, 1968 versus Denver that three different Chargers receivers had catches of 50 yards or longer in game...11.97 yards per attempt average vs. Raiders was sixth-highest of career...helped Chargers overcome 17-point deficit (27-10) for 33-30 OT win at Atlanta Oct. 23...marked sixth-career win when trailing by 17 or more...team also trailed by seven entering fourth quarter (27-20) marking 22nd-career fourth-quarter comeback win...passed for season-high 371 yards, marking 49th-career 300-yard game...Oct. 30 at Denver, raised career pass attempts total to 5,631 and moved past Dan Fouts (5,604) for most in franchise history...Broncos game was 172nd of career, tying Quentin Jammer for eighth in team history...Nov. 6 in 43-25 win vs. Tennessee, played in 173rd career game, eighth in franchise history...finished first half of Titans game 16 of 20 for 176 yards and two touchdowns for 136.7 rating, 26th-career game with rating of 130.0 or higher in first half...three TD strikes to raise career total to 301 Nov. 13 vs. Miami and pass John Elway (300) for eighth all-time...300th TD pass was seven-yarder to Hunter Henry on 3rd-and-goal...posted 50th-career 300-yard game with 326 vs. Dolphins...tied career high with four interceptions, all in fourth quarter...three TD passes in 21-13 win at Houston Nov. 27...was 13-of-16 for 148 yards and two TDs (144.8 rating) in first half...went over 3,000 yards for season in first half, marking 11th-straight 3,000-yard campaign, tied for fourth-most in NFL history...Dec. 4 vs. Tampa Bay, passed for 225 yards to raise career total to 44,800 and move past Drew Bledsoe (44,611) for 12th all-time...also threw two TD passes vs. Buccaneers to raise season total to 25 for ninth-straight season of 25-plus, third-longest streak in NFL history...Dec. 11 at Carolina, played in 174th straight game, tying Mike Scifres for the third-longest streak in franchise history...longest completion vs. Panthers of 46 yards was 14th of season 40 yards or longer, tying career high (2010)...passed for 236 yards vs. Panthers to eclipse 45,000 career yards as he raised his total to 45,036...Dec. 18 vs. Oakland, played in 175th consecutive game, third in team history...opened Raiders game with 47-yard TD pass to Travis Benjamin...was 15th completion of season of 40 yards or longer for new career high...Dec. 24 at Cleveland, passed for 322 yards for 51st-career 300-yard game, tying Fouts’ franchise record...during game, raised season yardage total to 4,117 for eighth-career 4,000-yard season, fourth in NFL history...threw two TD passes vs. Browns to raise season total to 31 for fifth-career 30-TD season, sixth in NFL history...longest pass of game was 50-yarder to Benjamin on first play from scrimmage...was 16th completion of season of 40 yards or longer, extending new career high...two touchdown passes Jan. 1 vs. Kansas City to raise season total to 33, second-highest of career.
2015: Pro Bowl fourth-alternate...Chargers Most Valuable Player...Team Captain...FedEx Air NFL Player of Week after throwing two touchdowns Sept. 13 vs. Detroit...tied Dan Fouts’ team record for career touchdown passes (254)...was Rivers’ 149th career game, compared to 181 Fouts played during his career...completed 83 percent (34 of 41) for 403 yards (103.6 rating)...yards were most by Chargers’ QB on opening day in franchise history...was team-record seventh-career 400-yard game...team-record 20 straight completions to close out game, including last nine of third quarter and all 11 in fourth quarter while throwing for 229 yards and two touchdowns...completion percentage vs. Lions (83 percent) was fourth-highest of career and eighth-highest in franchise history...Chargers trailed 21-20 at start of fourth quarter to mark 21st career fourth-quarter come-from-behind victory...also overcame early 18-point deficit (21-3), which matched second-largest in team annals...Sept. 20 at Cincinnati, threw two touchdown passes (career No. 255 and 256) to set new franchise record and move into sole possession of 14th all-time...also moved past Sonny Jurgensen (255) for 14th all-time...vs. Bengals, had streak of 22 straight completions (dating to Sept. 13) come to end...tied for third-longest streak in NFL history (Joe Montana-1987, Mark Brunell-2006, David Carr-2006 and Matt Ryan-2012)...passed for 241 yards vs. Bengals to move past Donovan McNabb for 18th on NFL’s all-time passing yardage list...AFC Offensive Player of Week and FedEx Air NFL Player of Week after completing 23 of 38 for 358 yards with the three touchdowns and no interceptions (118.1 rating) in 30-27 win vs. Cleveland Oct. 4...made 148th consecutive start in Browns game, tying Russ Washington’s franchise record...was 40th-career three-touchdown game...drove team eight plays and 57 yards over final 2:09 of game for game-winning 34-yard field goal as time expired...marked 25th-career game-winning drive in fourth quarter or overtime...set new team record with 149th consecutive start on ESPN’s Monday Night Football Oct. 12 vs. Pittsburgh...two touchdown passes vs. Steelers to increase career total to 262 and move past Dave Krieg (261) and into 13th all-time...threw for 365 yards vs. Steelers and raised career total to 38,269 to pass Boomer Esiason (37,920) and Krieg (38,147) for 17th all-time...was 40th-career 300-yard game...FedEx Air NFL Player of Week after making 150th consecutive start and setting franchise records for attempts (65), completions (43) and yards (503) Oct. 18 at Green Bay...was first 500-yard game in franchise history and 17th in NFL history...eighth-career 400-yard game, extending team record...became fourth quarterback in NFL history to start 150 straight games...passed for 336 yards Oct. 25 vs. Oakland and tied team record with fourth-straight 300-yard game...passed for 301 yards Nov. 1 at Baltimore for team-record fifth-straight 300-yard passing game...Fouts held previous mark (four games)...completed 28 of 37 with three touchdowns and no interceptions for season-high 126.1 passer rating, including 19 of 22 for 157 yards and two touchdowns in first half...70-yard touchdown pass to Malcom Floyd in third quarter was third-longest of career...Nov. 9 vs. Chicago, went over 3,000 yards for 10th-consecutive season...set franchise-record for career completions Nov. 22 vs. Kansas City, passing Fouts (3,297)...tied career-high with four touchdown passes Nov. 29 at Jacksonville to raise career total to 275 and move past Joe Montana (273) and into tie with Vinny Testaverde for 11th all-time...passed for exactly 300 yards vs. Jaguars to raise career total to 40,166 and become 17th player in NFL history with 40,000 career yards...reached 40,000 in 159 career games, fourth-fastest in NFL history...made perhaps biggest play of game with feet, scrambling eight yards for first down on 4th-and-7 play to sustain touchdown drive that gave Bolts 31-19 lead...passed for 263 yards Dec. 13 at Kansas City to raise career total to 40,631 and move past Hall of Fame quarterback Joe Montana (40,551) for 15th on NFL’s all-time passing yardage list...three touchdown passes, all to Danny Woodhead, Dec. 20 vs. Miami, raising season total to 26 for eighth-straight 25-TD season...joined Peyton Manning (13, 1998-2010) and Drew Brees (10, 2006-15) as only QBs in NFL history with at least eight-straight 25-TD seasons...passed for 311 yards against Dolphins to raise his career total 40,942 and pass Kerry Collins (40,922) for 14th all-time...Dolphins game marked eighth 300-yard game of season, tying Fouts’ (1980) team record...raised season total to 4,287 yards for seventh-career 4,000-yard season, fourth-most in NFL history behind Peyton Manning (14), Drew Brees (10, including 2015) and Tom Brady (8, including 2015)...surpassed 4,500 passing yards for team-record third time in career Dec. 24 at Oakland...passed for 228 yards in Jan. 3 season finale at Denver to finish season with 4,792 yards, second in team history and 10 yards shy of franchise single-season mark.
2014: Chargers Team MVP...Pro Bowl second alternate...Team Captain...franchise-record 379 completions...fourth in NFL in completion percentage (66.5), eighth in yards (4,286) and touchdown passes (31), and sixth in third-down pass efficiency (105.4)...No. 34 on NFL Network’s list of Top 100 players at start of season...AFC Offensive Player of the Month (September)...FedEx Air NFL Player of Week after 30-21 home win over defending Super Bowl Champion Seattle Seahawks Sept. 14...completed 28 of 37 (75.7 pct.) for 284 yards with three touchdowns, all to Antonio Gates, for rating of 124.2...ran career-high 11 times vs. Seahawks...two touchdown passes Sept. 21 at Buffalo to tie own team record of 23 straight games with TD pass...completed 18 of 25 (72.0 pct.) and rating of 131.4 vs. Bills...FexEx Air NFL Player of Week after team-record 24th straight game with touchdown pass Sept. 28 vs. Jacksonville...completed 29 of 39 (74.4 pct.) for 377 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions for a 130.0 rating...third straight game with rating above 120.0, tying longest stretch of career (2008 and ‘11) and third straight game completing better than 72.0 percent...threw touchdown passes of 43 and 47 yards to Eddie Royal and 24 yards to Malcom Floyd for first-career game with three touchdowns of 24 yards or longer...completed 71.4 percent (20 of 28) in 31-0 win over New York Jets Oct. 5...fourth straight game with completion percentage above 70, tying longest stretch of career...passed for 288 yards with three touchdowns for passer rating of 125.3, NFL-record fourth straight game with rating above 120 (min. 20 att.)....second quarter interception ended streak of 128 consecutive passes without pick, dating to first half of Sept. 8 season opener at Arizona...extended team record streak of games with touchdown pass to 25...final TD pass of game was 233rd of career to pass Steve Young (232) for 23rd all-time...three touchdown passes and 313 yards in 31-28 win at Oakland Oct. 12 for fifth-straight multi-TD game, tying best stretch of career...also extended NFL-record streak of games with passer rating over 120 to five...went 7 of 10 for 104 yards and three touchdowns on third down...TD passes were 234th-236th of career to pass Donovan McNabb (234) and tie George Blanda (236) for 21st all-time...completed 64.7 percent vs. Raiders, ending streak of games with completion percentage above 70 at four, tying longest stretch of career...threw 237-238th touchdown passes of career Oct. 19 vs. Kansas City to pass Jim Kelly (237) for 20th all-time...sixth-straight multi-TD game, tying Dan Fouts (1981) for most in team history...NFL-record streak of five straight games with passer rating over 120.0 came to end, but passed for 205 yards to raise career total to 34,330 and pass Steve DeBerg (34,241) for 25th all-time...three touchdowns Oct. 23 at Denver to raise career total to 241 and pass Len Dawson (239) for 19th all-time...was franchise-record seventh-consecutive multi-TD game...30 completions vs. Broncos to raise career total to 2,831 and pass Johnny Unitas (2,830) for 25th all-time...team-record streaks of 28-straight games with touchdown pass and seven-straight multi-TD games both ended Nov. 2 at Miami...first game without TD pass since Dec. 2, 2012...during Dolphins game, moved past Jim Hart (34,665 yards) and Matt Hasselbeck (34,667) and into 23rd on NFL’s all-time passing list...Nov. 16 vs. Oakland, passed Jim Everett (34,837) for 22nd on all-time yardage list...season-high .829 completion percentage (29 of 35) Nov. 23 vs. St. Louis...14 of 15 for 185 yards and touchdown in second half, including 7-of-7 for 92 yards in third quarter...during game, went over 35,000 passing yards for career...season-high 383 yards and three touchdowns in 34-33 win at Baltimore Nov. 30...led team back from two 10-point deficits in fourth quarter...down 30-20 with 6:13 left, led 77-yard drive capped by 23-yard touchdown pass to Keenan Allen...then down 33-27, led game-winning 80-yard drive in 1:44 and threw game-winning one-yard TD pass to Royal with 38 seconds left...8 of 8 for 156 yards on third down vs. Ravens...raised career touchdown total to 246 and passed John Hadl (244) for 18th all-time...also in Ravens game, raised career yardage total to 35,587 and moved into 20th all-time, passing Carson Palmer and Jim Kelly...made 140th straight start in Baltimore, tying Walt Sweeney for second-longest streak in team history...threw 248th career touchdown pass Dec. 14 vs. Denver to pass Boomer Esiason (247) for 17th all-time list...AFC Offensive Player of Week, FedEx Air NFL Player of Week and Monday Morning Quarterback Offensive Player of the Week after leading Chargers to 38-35 overtime win at San Francisco on Dec. 20...was 20th-career fourth-quarter come-from-behind win...led Bolts from two 21-point deficits, tied for highest in franchise history (Nov. 12, 2006 at Cincinnati), and 35-21 deficit in fourth quarter...tied career-high with four touchdown passes including three in second half and two in final 5:15 to send game to overtime...led 85 and 80-yard touchdown drives in final 8:55, including game-tying 11-yard touchdown pass to Floyd with 29 seconds remaining...during game-tying drive, completed 17-yard 4th-and-7 pass to Royal and 17-yard 4th-and-10 pass to Dontrelle Inman...also completed 3,000th career pass on drive...then proceeded to lead nine-play, 40-yard game-winning drive in OT...career-high 54 pass attempts in game...with four TD passes vs. 49ers, raised career total to 252 to become 17th QB in NFL history with 250 and passed Drew Bledsoe (251) for 16th all-time...topped 4,000 yards for sixth time of career, extending franchise record, during Dec. 28 season finale at Kansas City...tied Dan Marino and Brett Favre for sixth-most 4,000-yard seasons in NFL history.
2013: Pro Bowl...Associated Press and PFWA Comeback Player of the Year...Chargers Team MVP...Team Captain...three touchdown passes in first half of Sept. 9 season-opener vs. Houston...fourth-career game with three TDs in first half and second against Texans (Oct. 28, 2007 at Houston)...four total TD passes for fifth-career four-TD game and second versus Texans (Nov. 7, 2010 at Houston)...AFC Offensive Player of Week after leading Chargers to 400th win in franchise history, 33-30, Sept. 15 at Philadelphia...led late fourth-quarter game-winning nine-play, 51-yard field goal drive, consuming 1:44 and ending with seven seconds left in game...419 yards passing for fourth-career 400-yard game...completed first 10 passes and then-career-high 36 in game (second-most in team history)...threw three TD passes to Eddie Royal...20 of 24 for second-highest single-game completion percentage (83.3) Sept. 22 at Tennessee...AFC & Monday Morning Quarterback Offensive Player of Week after 401 yards in 30-21 win vs. Dallas Sept. 29...fifth-career 400-yard game...completed 83.3 pct. (35 of 42) vs. Cowboys, highest in NFL history for 400-yard passing game...first QB in NFL history with completion percentage above 80.0 (min. 20 attempts) in consecutive games...threw 198-200th touchdown passes of career to become NFL’s 34th all-time and sixth-fastest (120 games) with 200...threw 200th to Antonio Gates (56 yards) in fourth quarter...Gates also on receiving end of Rivers’ 100th TD pass against Cowboys Dec. 13, 2009...completed all 12 third-quarter passes to cap stretch of 13 straight, tied for third-most in team history...411 yards Oct. 6 at Oakland to become first QB in team history with back-to-back 400-yard games...team-record third 400-yard game of season and sixth of career, tying Fouts for most in team history...threw 201-202nd touchdown passes of career to pass John Hadl (201) for second in team history...game ball from Head Coach Mike McCoy after 24-6 win at Jacksonville Oct. 20...completed first 14 passes of game, his most-ever at start of game...also completed last two passes of previous week’s game as 16 straight completions set new team mark...completed 84.6 percent (22 of 26) vs. Jaguars, second-highest of career, for third game of season with completion percentage higher than 80.0...eclipsed 30,000 career yards during game to become fifth-fastest player in NFL history (123 games)...FedEx Air NFL Player of Week after 392 yards and three touchdowns, including 26-yard game-winner to Seyi Ajirotutu with 24 seconds left in fourth quarter of 41-38 win at Kansas City Nov. 24...also threw season-long 60-yard TD pass to Ladarius Green in fourth quarter...led Chargers to 31 second-half points, including 17 in fourth quarter...went 11 of 13 for 199 yards and touchdown on third downs...fourth game of season with at least 390 yards, tying for most in season in NFL history...252 yards Dec. 1 vs. Cincinnati to raise season total to 3,633 for team-record, sixth-straight 3,500-yard season...season-high 137.4 passer rating in 37-14 win over New York Giants Dec. 8...completed 75 percent (21 of 28) with three TDs and no INTs...raised season touchdown total to 26, marking sixth-straight 25-TD season...led 6-7 Chargers to 27-20 upset win over 11-2 Broncos on short week in Dec. 12 NFL Network Thursday Night game at Sports Authority Field...topped 4,000 yards for season for team-record fifth-career 4,000-yard season...Dec. 22 vs. Oakland, threw TD pass in 19th-straight game, tying John Hadl (1966-67) for third-longest streak in team history...led Chargers to playoffs for first time since 2009 with 27-24 overtime win against Kansas City Dec. 29...helped Bolts overcome 10-point deficit in fourth quarter and led 16-play, 62-yard drive in OT for game-winning points...three touchdowns in game to raise season total to 30 for third-career 30-TD campaign...20th-straight game with touchdown pass, tying Fouts (1979-80) for second-longest streak in team history...led Bolts to Jan. 5 Wild Card Playoff win at Cincinnati, first playoff win since 2008 season...two 16-yard TD passes to Keenan Allen in fourth quarter of Jan. 12 Divisional Playoff loss at Denver.
2012: 100th-career and 100th-straight start Sept. 30 at Kansas City...first completion was 2,000th of career...surpassed 25,000 career yards in Chiefs (104th career game) to become seventh fastest to 25,000...season-high 354 yards Oct. 7 at New Orleans...first-career four-interception game Oct. 15 vs. Denver...team-record 90.0 completion percentage (18 of 20) Nov. 1 vs. Kansas City in NFL Network Thursday Night game…sixth QB in NFL history to complete 90 percent in game (min. 20 att.)...completed first 13 passes and first incompletion was intentionally thrown out of back of end zone...career-high 148 yards in first quarter Nov. 11 at Tampa Bay...ended first half 16 of 18 for 218 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions for 156.7 rating...passed for 228 yards Nov. 25 vs. Baltimore to raise career total to 27,105 and pass Hadl (26,938) for second in team history...season-high passer rating (142.0) Dec. 30 vs. Oakland.
2011: Pro Bowl...Chargers Team MVP...335 yards Sept. 11 vs. Minnesota for most in season opener...led 13th-career fourth-quarter comeback with 19-yard TD pass with 5:01 remaining...went over 20,000 career yards Sept. 18 at New England...two-yard rush TD Oct. 9 at Denver...tied career high with four TD passes Nov. 6 vs. Green Bay...finished with 385 yards, then-fourth-highest of career...three interceptions vs. Packers to end NFL-record streak of games started at start of career without three-INT game at 90…previous mark (57) was set by Hall of Fame QB Joe Montana...Nov. 20 at Chicago, threw 150-151st TD passes of career...went over 3,000 yards during Bears’ game for sixth-straight 3,000-yard season...season-high 146.1 passer rating in 38-14 win at Jacksonville Dec. 5 on ESPN’s Monday Night Football...included 52-yard TD pass to Floyd...finished game with 1,842 career completions to pass Hadl (1,824) for second in team history...went over 4,000 yards for team-record fourth-straight season on NBC’s Sunday Night Football Dec. 18 vs. Baltimore...late fourth quarter INT Dec. 24 at Detroit was first since Nov. 20, ending career-best 170-straight passes without pick, second-longest stretch in team history.
2010: Pro Bowl...NFL Alumni Association quarterback of Year...Chargers Team MVP...USA Today Chargers MVP...334 yards vs. Jacksonville Sept. 19, 16th-career 300-yard game, tying Hadl for second in team history...team-record 455 yards Sept. 26 at Seattle on career-high 53 attempts...increased career yardage to 16,279 to pass Stan Humphries (16,085) for third in team history...AFC Offensive Player of Month (October) after passing for 1,562 yards, NFL record for October...148.1 passer rating Oct. 3 vs. Arizona was second-highest of career...431 yards Oct. 10 at Oakland was ninth in team history, including career-high 290 in first half...22 completions Oct. 17 at St. Louis to move past Humphries (1,335) for third in team history...Oct. 31 vs. Tennessee, 305 yards to raise season total to 2,649, most in NFL history for first eight games of season (Fouts—2,580 in 1982)...tied career-high with four TDs Nov. 7 at Houston...137.2 passer rating was season-high on road...passed Steve Young (96.8) as NFL’s all-time career passer rating (96.9) leader...second-straight four-TD game Nov. 22 vs. Denver to become third QB in team history (Drew Brees, 2004 and Dan Fouts, 1985) with consecutive four-TD games...completed then-career-high 82.6 percent Nov. 28 at Indianapolis...23-game streak with touchdown pass ended vs. Colts...was then-team-record and longest-active in NFL...25th TD Dec. 12 vs. Kansas City to become first Chargers QB with 25 touchdowns three straight seasons...88th touchdown since ’08 marked most by Chargers’ quarterback in three-year stretch (Fouts—87, 1979-81)...24 attempts vs. Kansas City to pass Humphries (2,350) for third in team history...went over 4,000 yards Dec. 16 vs. San Francisco for third straight year, matching Fouts’ team record (1979-81)...1,500th career completion vs. 49ers...150.5 rating in game, second-highest of career...started Pro Bowl Jan. 30 at Aloha Stadium and went 17 of 26 for 192 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions.
2009: Pro Bowl, Dallas Morning News’ NFL MVP, Chargers Team MVP...game ball Sept. 14 at Oakland after leading game-winning touchdown drive of 89 yards in nine plays over final 2:30...6-of-7 for 79 yards on game-winning drive...finished quarter with 144.4 rating...then-career-high 436 yards vs. Baltimore Sept. 20, tying Fouts, who was at stadium working as analyst for CBS...included career-long 81-yard first-quarter touchdown pass to Darren Sproles for ninth-longest pass play in team history...Oct. 25 at Kansas City, career TD passes 86-88th to move into third on team’s all-time list...included 58-yarder to Sproles...Nov. 1 vs. Oakland, streak of 143 passes without interception halted off tipped pass...first INT since Sept. 20, four-plus games...game ball after game-winning 18-yard touchdown pass to Vincent Jackson with 0:21 left for 21-20 win at New York Giants Nov. 8...game ball Nov. 15 vs. Philadelphia after completing then-career-high 80.0 percent and 131.8 rating...AFC Offensive Player of Month (December)...game ball after season-high 140.8 passer rating Dec. 6 at Cleveland...game ball Dec. 13 at Dallas...100th career TD pass (14 yards to Antonio Gates) to tie as NFL’s eighth-fastest to 100 (65 games)...game ball after leading game-winning 46-yard FG drive with 0:51 left Dec. 20 vs Cincinnati...game-winning kick was 52 yards...Oakland win at Denver minutes later clinches fourth-straight AFC West title...game ball Dec. 25 at Tennessee after clinching No. 2 seed in playoffs and surpassing 4,000 yards for season...132.1 rating vs. Titans for fourth 130-plus game of season...did not play in Pro Bowl (injury).
2008: Pro Bowl first-alternate…Chargers Offensive Player of Year and co-MVP…Chargers Alumni Offensive Player of Month (September)…second in NFL in third-down (110.7) and fourth quarter (111.7) passer rating...season-high 377 yards Sept. 14 at Denver…Fed Ex Air NFL Player of Week after 48-29 victory vs. New York Jets on ESPN’s MNF Sept. 22…first pass intercepted and returned for touchdown, but completed next 19 of 24 for 250 yards and three touchdowns…Fed Ex Air NFL Player of Week vs. New England on NBC’s SNF Oct. 12...first-career 300-yard game (306) at Qualcomm Stadium and season-high passer rating (141.9)…two second-half TD passes in 20-19 win over Kansas City Nov. 9…316 yards vs. Chiefs for first back-to-back 300-yard games by Charger since John Friesz (1991)…led game-winning 14-play, 94-yard drive in 8:28, going 8-of-8 for 75 yards…no touchdowns Nov. 16 at Pittsburgh, ending 16-game streak, tied with Hadl for third-longest in team history…AFC Offensive Player of Month (December) after completing 66.1 percent for 1,054 yards with 11 TDs and just one INT for lofty 120.3 rating...Offensive Player of Week by AFC and SportsIllustrated.com after 22-21 win Dec. 14 at Kansas City...rallied team from 21-10 deficit in final 4:55 of fourth quarter, going 19 of 25 for 199 yards with two TDs and no INTs while directing touchdown drives of 89 and 61 yards…game-winning touchdown pass to Jackson (10 yards) with 0:36 left…ESPN.com Game Ball after career-high four TDs in 41-24 win at Tampa Bay Dec. 21…rallied team from 24-20 fourth-quarter deficit with TD passes of five and 32 yards...clinched third-straight AFC West title in 52-21 win over Denver Dec. 28…rallied Chargers from 17-14 deficit in fourth quarter of Wild Card vs. Indianapolis for 23-17 OT win...directed game-tying field goal drive late in fourth quarter and game-winning touchdown drive on first series of overtime.
2007: Chargers co-Most Inspirational Player…completed first 15 passes Sept. 23 at Green Bay, tying Fouts’ team record…16th pass was intentional throwaway through back of end zone…AFC Offensive Player of Week and FedEx Air NFL Player of Week after season-best 151.4 passer rating Oct. 7 at Denver…first-career rush touchdown and perfect 8-of-8 for 160 yards and two TDs (158.3) in third quarter vs. Broncos…game ball after three-TD game Nov. 25 vs. Baltimore…injured (knee) in second quarter at Tennessee Dec. 9, but returned in third quarter and threw two fourth quarter TD passes to lead come-from-behind victory in OT…led team back from 17-3 fourth quarter deficit, capping 80-yard game-tying drive with touchdown to Gates with 0:09 remaining...game ball after 292 yards in Jan. 6 Wild Card win vs. Tennessee…25-yard touchdown to Jackson in third quarter gave Chargers first lead of game…4-of-4 for 55 yards on touchdown drive and 9-of-10 for 137 yards and touchdown (152.1) in third quarter…left Jan. 13 Divisional Playoff win at Indianapolis on last play of third quarter after hurting knee while throwing screen pass to Sproles for 56-yard touchdown catch-and-run for 21-17 lead…started and played entire AFC Championship Game Jan. 20 at New England with torn ACL in right knee.
2006: Pro Bowl...Chargers Offensive Player of Year...led NFL in fourth quarter (116.6) and second half (99.3) passer rating...first-career start Sept. 11 at Oakland on ESPN’s MNF and led Chargers to 27-0 win...8-of-11 (.727) for 133.0 passer rating, second-highest completion percentage and third-highest rating for NFL quarterback making first career start in season opener (since 1995)...Chargers Alumni Player of Week after 40-7 win vs. Tennessee Sept. 17…Sports Illustrated’s “Who’s Hot” after 23-13 win vs. defending Super Bowl Champion Steelers Oct. 8…AFC Offensive Player of Week and FedEx Air NFL Player of Week after 334 yards, first-career 300-yard game, and two TDs Oct. 15 at San Francisco...13 straight completions in first half, good for 195 yards and two TDs, including 57-yarder to Gates and 33-yarder to Jackson…completed 14 of first 15...lone incompletion was intentional throwaway…led four scoring drives in game without incompletion, including three touchdown drives…9-of-10 for 142 yards and touchdown on third down plays…NBC Football Night in America Player of Day and SportsIllustrated.com Offensive Player of Week after 337 yards and three touchdowns in 49-41 come-from-behind win at Cincinnati Nov. 12, including first-half deficits of 21-0 and 28-7...led squad to team-record 42 points in second half…three touchdown passes in second half…19-of-25 for 291 yards and three touchdowns after falling behind 21-0 and three incompletions were throwaways…6-of-6 on touchdowns inside red zone...8-of-8 for 93 yards and touchdown (154.7) on 3rd downs in second half…led Chargers from 17-point deficit in 35-27 win at Denver Nov. 19...battled back after interception returned 31 yards for touchdown to give Broncos 24-7 lead…led early 99-yard drive, Bolts’ longest since Nov. 25, 2001…fourth pass of game was picked, ending streak of 125 consecutive passes without interception, then longest-active streak in NFL…was first interception since Oct. 22…picture-perfect 37-yard game-winning touchdown pass to Jackson in rain with 0:29 left in fourth quarter Dec. 24 at Seattle…despite foot sprain, season-high 79.2 pct. vs. Arizona Dec. 31...9 of 10 for 135 yards and two touchdowns (158.3) in second quarter…played through foot sprain in Jan. 14 playoffs vs. New England…did not play in Pro Bowl (foot).
2005: Took over for Drew Brees (injured) in second quarter of Dec. 31 season finale vs. Denver...led team on 10-play, 69-yard touchdown drive on first series.
2004: Played second half vs. Kansas City Jan. 2 and threw first-career touchdown pass to Malcom Floyd.
COLLEGE: Seventh in Heisman Trophy voting as senior…NCAA-record 51 career starts…seventh quarterback in NCAA history and first in ACC with three 3,000-yard seasons…2003 ACC Player of Year and first-team All-ACC after leading NCAA with 72.0% completion percentage and 170.5 rating...second in NCAA in yards (4,491) and total offense (353.9 ypg)…MVP of ’03 Tangerine Bowl after career-high 475 yards and school-record tying five touchdowns in 56-26 win over Kansas…second-team All-ACC as junior…“Award of Distinction” from Columbus Touchdown Club…co-Governor’s Award as team MVP…MVP of ’02 Gator Bowl vs. Notre Dame…CNN/Sports Illustrated National Player of Week after five-touchdown game vs. Navy in ’02…honorable mention All-ACC as sophomore and MVP of Citrus Bowl…ACC Rookie of Year and Academic All-ACC in ’00…Newcomer of Year by ABC Sports...Freshman of Year by Football News and Columbus Touchdown Club…MVP of ’00 Micron PC Bowl…ACC Player of Week once, ACC Offensive Back of Week twice and league-record ACC Rookie of Week eight times…played at North Carolina State from 2000-03…degree in business.
PERSONAL: Born in Decatur, Ala. …Alabama Player of Year as senior at Athens (Ala.) High.
