Broncos vs. Chargers: Philip Rivers Stands Out Again

Philip Rivers' spectacular season got even better on Monday night.

Against the Denver Broncos, the quarterback completed 15 of his 24 passes for 233 yards and an astounding four touchdowns. His quarterback rating was 116.8. While his punter did have a higher rating for the game (Mike Scifres completed his only pass for 28 yards), it's safe to say that Rivers had the better game.

Incredibly, this was the worst yardage total of the season for Rivers.

"This was the most complete game we've played in all three phases," Phillips said after the game. "We are in a lot of ways in playoff football already. You almost can't afford a step back at this point."

The quarterback also added that his team hasn't peaked yet. Neither has he. 

Rivers tied his career-high for passing touchdowns in a game and increased his league-leading yardage total to 3,177 yards on the season. With an average of 317.7 yards per game, he's on pace to fall short of Dan Marino's single-season yardage record of 5,084 by less than a yard. 

The quarterback has also passed for four touchdowns in two straight games, having also thrown four scores on Nov. 9 against the Houston Texans in a 29-23 win. 

More importantly, he's helped the Chargers improve their record to 5-5, placing them back in the playoff hunt. They trail the Kansas City Chiefs by just one game and get to play them again in Week 14 with a chance to redeem their opening-game loss. 

If they had this kind of success without the services of Antonio Gates and Ryan Mathews, they're going to be awfully tough to beat when those two return.