Philip Rivers is Playing Like an MVP

Former NC State quarterback Philip Rivers is playing like an MVP.

Rivers is on the hottest streak of his 14 season NFL career.

Last 4 games

96-139 (69%)
1,348 yards (337 yards per game)
8 touchdowns
0 interceptions

The Los Angeles Chargers started the season 0-4, but now sit at 7-6 in a tie with the Chiefs for 1st place in the AFC West.

If you ask Rivers, he doesn’t think he’s the MVP.

Does #Chargers QB Philip Rivers consider himself an MVP candidate? pic.twitter.com/h9pRZGhH9q

— NICK HAMILTON (@NickHamiltonLA) December 13, 2017

But Chargers running back Melvin Gordon disagrees with him. He thinks that Rivers should definitely be in the MVP discussion, especially if they keep winning.

“This is the best I’ve seen him play. He’s on,” running back Melvin Gordon said. “You know, you want carries and things like that, but you can’t complain, baby. Can’t complain, the way he’s throwing that thing right now, I’m cheering more than anybody else.”

“I think it’d mean the world to him. At the end of the day, it’s a great compliment to say you’re the MVP,” Gordon said. “You don’t [get it when you’re losing]. It’d be awesome right now if Philip was able to get that. Later on down the line, I think he’d appreciate it a little more. I think right now, he would just look at it as it what it is. He’s super focused. But, I think at the end of the day when it’s all said and done and he’s looking back at everything he’s accomplished, and he sees that … man.”(LATimes)

Yes, Tom Brady is still playing like the best quarterback in the NFL, and should be at the top of the MVP conversation again. Carson Wentz was riding all of the MVP hype (deservedly so) before he tore his ACL. But Rivers is in the Top 5 in passing yards and touchdown passes, and no one is closing out the year like him.

Sure, Brady is beating Rivers in both yards and touchdowns, and the Pats are 10-3.

But check this out.

According to Football Outsiders, Rivers is the NFL’s top quarterback when using the DYAR metric, which measures Defense-adjusted Yards Above Replacement. In simple terms, it measures how effective Rivers is, in a cumulative sense, when you take into account factors such as what down it is and the distance needed for a first down.

Rivers is second in DVOA, a stat that measures the same value, but on a per-play basis, trailing only New England’s Tom Brady.(LATimes)

Odds are Rivers doesn’t win the MVP. I get it. But if he keeps this up, and the Chargers keep winning, then he should be in the top 2 or 3 in votes in my opinion.