National Football League

Schrager's Week 14 Cheat Sheet: Philip Rivers needs some MVP consideration

Published Dec. 4, 2014 12:00 p.m. ET

Peter Schrager

Philip Rivers won the NFL's Comeback Player of the Year award last year.

Unlike the majority of players who have won the award in previous years, Rivers didn't win for bouncing back from a career-threatening injury or some major off-the-field adversity. He won the award for essentially coming back from mediocrity.

After throwing a combined 35 interceptions over the 2011 and '12 seasons, the 10-year veteran bounced back in 2013 with a Pro Bowl campaign. He threw 32 touchdowns and just 11 interceptions, leading the Bolts to the playoffs and winning his first postseason game since 2008.

A lot of the credit last year was given to Rivers' offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt. But with Whisenhunt taking the Tennessee head coaching job, there were questions heading into this season about whether or not we'd see the Rivers of 2013, or the one from the previous two seasons.

Those questions look ridiculous now.

Rivers is the midst of yet another incredible stretch in one of the more under-appreciated careers in NFL history. In a league studded with star quarterbacks young and old, you rarely hear No. 17 mentioned on any lists with Brady, Manning, Luck, Brees or Rodgers.

And yet here we are, in Rivers' 10th season as a pro, and he's having perhaps his best one yet.

The numbers tell one story. Rivers is in the top 10 in passing yards (3,218), completion percentage (69.1), quarterback rating (102.8) and touchdown passes (25). Fine. But his ability to win games when they matter is something else.

Last week at Baltimore, facing a 1 p.m. ET kickoff in a building where no West Coast team had won before, Rivers led San Diego to two touchdown drives in the last 3:40 to steal a win. He completed 34 of 45 passes for 383 yards with three touchdowns and one interception and, without much fanfare, the Chargers did what the Chargers tend to do: They slunk into that second wild card spot in the AFC playoffs like a thief in the night.

And now the Chargers enter Week 14 and the month of December, a time when historically, Rivers has been sublime. According to NFL.com senior analyst Gil Brandt, Rivers is 29-3 in the final four games of a season, the best of all time. With a win percentage of .906, that's better than Tom Brady (40-8, .833 percent) and Roger Staubach (24-6, .800).

No one's talking about Rivers in the MVP conversation. Everywhere you read, it's a four-horse race between the old stalwarts — Peyton Manning, Brady and Aaron Rodgers — and the rare defensive choice, J.J. Watt.

But if San Diego can beat the Patriots on Sunday night, and then go on a run in which they topple the Broncos, 49ers and Chiefs?

Rivers, the guy who won Comeback Player of the Year for going from mediocre to back to normal, could be your guy.

The numbers and wins always will be there. Maybe this is the season he gets the hardware, too.

WEEK 14 CHEAT SHEET TRIVIA QUESTION OF THE WEEK

Rodgers just finished a month in which he threw more than 13 touchdown passes and zero interceptions. Only two other quarterbacks in NFL history have had such months. Who are they?

THROWBACK JERSEY OF THE WEEK

Each week, we give you a throwback jersey you probably should purchase. While we're on the topic of Rivers and the Chargers, how about an early 2000's Doug Flutie Chargers throwback.

Now, on to my picks.

Week 13 Record: 9-7

THURSDAY

Dallas at Chicago: The Thanksgiving Day debacle for the Cowboys was more than just an eyesore over turkey, gravy and yams. The 33-10 loss to Philadelphia not only knocked the 'Boys out of first place in the division, but also from playoff position in the conference. A loss to the Bears, a week in advance of a rematch with the Eagles in Philadelphia, could be catastrophic. This is as "must win" as it gets for Week 14.

The Pick: Cowboys 27, Bears 23

The Result: Cowboys 41, Bears 28

SUNDAY

Pittsburgh at Cincinnati: For as bad as last weekend's loss at home to the Saints was, the Steelers still control their own destiny in the AFC North. They've got two in four weeks with the Bengals. Ben Roethlisberger says his hand and wrist are fine, and there are enough veterans on this squad who believe they can find a way. There's more at stake now, too. These guys can't play forever, and if missing the playoffs the past two years isn't enough of a motivator, DE Brett Keisel's injury surely is. Cincinnati still could find a way into the playoffs, but I think the Steelers take this one in Ohio.

The Pick: Steelers 24, Bengals 16

St. Louis at Washington: Though all eyes are on Robert Griffin III's future in Washington, Colt McCoy has a nice little four-week audition up ahead, too. A free agent who signed a one-year deal to essentially be the third string and a veteran presence in Washington this season, McCoy's looked good in three games. McCoy was 31 of 47 for 392 yards and three TDs last week vs. the Colts, tossing one more in a single game than Griffin's total in five games. McCoy has thrown just one interception, too. I like the Rams, but I think McCoy keeps it up and continues to put together good tape for this offseason's free agent signing period.

The Pick: Rams 28, Redskins 21

NY Giants at Tennessee: Ugh. This is the opposite of a Super Bowl preview. With a combined 13 consecutive losses between the Titans and Giants, something has to give. I'll take the Giants, but can't say I'm doing flips over this one.

The Pick: Giants 23, Titans 17

Carolina at New Orleans: The Saints' longest home losing streak in nine years (three games) has to end at some point. Meanwhile, Panthers fans are looking to see their team snap the team's longest losing streak (seven) since 2002. These teams played twice in December last year and both were huge games between titans of the NFC. Somehow, some way, this matchup still has big division title implications. The Panthers are injured everywhere, the Saints are one of the more inconsistent teams in the league, and they've combined for just eight wins. And yet this one still is huge for both teams. The Saints will win, essentially putting the Panthers' miserable season to sleep, and making the New Orleans-Atlanta battle for the NFC South very interesting over the next three weeks.

The Pick: Saints 30, Panthers 12

New York Jets at Minnesota: With very little fanfare or national attention, the Vikings quietly are inching toward a .500 record in Teddy Bridgewater's first season. Considering all the things this Vikings team has endured, that's certainly something to build upon for 2015. As for the Jets? The offseason couldn't come soon enough. Any "win one for Rex" motivation seemed to be spent against Pittsburgh a few weeks back.

The Pick: Vikings 24, Jets 13

Baltimore at Miami: In the AFC, the playoffs really started last Sunday. With six teams sitting at 7-5 heading into Week 14, any loss at this point could be a back-breaker for just about all of these squads. The Dolphins were knocking on the playoff door last year and inexplicably lost their last two games to Thad Lewis and the Bills and Geno Smith and the Jets. Miami needs this one, as it's got a tough trip to New England the following week. But I like the Ravens. They're road tested, they've been down paths like this before, and John Harbaugh has a great string of success against Miami.

The Pick: Ravens 20, Dolphins 16

Indianapolis at Cleveland: Forget Johnny Manziel, Brian Hoyer, or Andrew Luck — this is the Trent Richardson Bowl! Richardson, a former No. 3 overall selection of the Browns who was traded to Indy for a first-round pick a year ago, says he has plans to jump in the Dawg Pound if he scores a touchdown on Sunday. The Colts, however, would be more than thrilled to see Richardson pick up a 5-yard gain at some point. Richardson's been outplayed by Dan "Boom" Herron the past few weeks, but remains the starter. Coach Chuck Pagano is sticking with him. I respect it. I've got the Colts winning, breaking the Browns fans' hearts, and Richardson scoring not one but two late touchdowns. That's what we call a Cleveland nightmare.

The Pick: Colts 35, Browns 23

Tampa Bay at Detroit: It's all on the plate for the Lions, but the fan base has been here before and doesn't want to hear it. At 8-4, Detroit is trying to extend its longest home winning streak since 2007 (three games), before taking on Minnesota and Chicago — two 5-7 teams — the next two weeks. Previous Lions teams would lose this game to the Buccaneers, like they lost to the woeful Giants at home a season ago. But this is a different unit. New coach. New coordinators. New attitude. Call me the optimist, but I think the Lions just handle their business.

The Pick: Lions 30, Buccaneers 19

Houston at Jacksonville: Upset special. Watching the tape of last week's Jaguars-Giants game, I love what I saw out of Blake Bortles. Though he's built like Cam Newton or Ben Roethlisberger, Bortles was moving and shaking like Russell Wilson out of the pocket last week. The crowd was all sorts of jacked up and the defense came together in the second half. This could be a fun one. Stay away from Houston, Survivor Pool survivors.

The Pick: Jaguars 20, Texans 16

Buffalo at Denver: Kyle Orton had a good stint with Denver in the Josh McDaniels era and then beat the Tim Tebow-led Broncos 7-3 as a member of the Chiefs on the final week of the 2012 season. This is the biggest test for Buffalo this season, but looking at the remaining schedule, it could be a make-or-breaker, too. At 7-5, Orton and the Bills certainly are in the mix, but with the Broncos, Packers and Patriots in three of the final four weeks of the season, the scheduling gods did them no favors. Denver hasn't lost at home this season; can't see it happening Sunday.

The Pick: Broncos 27, Bills 17

Kansas City at Arizona: Both teams were sitting comfortably in the playoff picture just two weeks ago, but now are watching the rug get pulled out from under them after consecutive bad losses the past two weeks. Arizona's issue is injuries. They've been mounting since the preseason and now have hit a point at which they're truly impacting the team. Good coaching can take a team only so far, and on Sunday, the inferior talent on the field was evident against the Falcons. QB Drew Stanton struggled mightily his past two games — three if you want to include a win over the Lions in Week 11 — but there are injury woes up and down the roster. In addition to the host of starters who have been shelved, OT Jared Veldheer, S Tyrann Mathieu, OG Paul Fanaika and RB Andre Ellington all were banged up in Sunday's loss. Mathieu's thumb injury is a real killer.

The Pick: Chiefs 27, Cardinals 16

Seattle at Philadelphia: Pete Carroll is 1-1 against Carson Palmer and 1-1 against Matt Cassel. He's now going up against his third USC quarterback, Mark Sanchez. Philadelphia is on the cusp of winning its 10th straight at home. The Seattle defense has played wonderfully the past two weeks, but neither the Cardinals nor 49ers have an offense like the one Chip Kelly is sporting. This could be a playoff preview. I like the home team and the student over the mentor — Sanchez gets the best of Carroll.

The Pick: Eagles 30, Seahawks 24

San Francisco at Oakland: The Raiders offense isn't exactly a Picasso painting. The Raiders committed a season-high five turnovers last week in a 52-0 loss in St. Louis, and their 244 total yards marked the fifth time in seven games they were held to less than 250. The 49ers still are very much in the playoff mix. Say what you want about Jim Harbaugh, but his team never has lost three straight games and he consistently gets the Niners to answer the bell when everyone counts them out.

The Pick: 49ers 24, Raiders 10

New England at San Diego: The Patriots haven't slept in their own beds since last Friday night, opting to spend the week on the West Coast after the brutal slugfest with the Packers. Belichick schemes and prepares as well as anyone and Brady is a West Coast guy, but I'm rolling with Phil Rivers and the Chargers on their home field. Don't look now, but the Bolts could be the team to watch in the AFC.

The Pick: Chargers 27, Patriots 24

MONDAY NIGHT

Atlanta at Green Bay: The Packers aren't losing at home this season. Not to the Patriots, not to the Falcons, not to anyone.

The Pick: Packers 41, Falcons 17

Reader Email of the Week

Peter,

I spent Thanksgiving catching up on "House of Cards" on Netflix, "Homeland" on Showtime, and "Boardwalk Empire" on HBO. I feel like you've got some gems in the TV world for me. Give me three shows to watch over the Christmas vacation, please.

Henry,

Clearwater, Florida

Henry,

Look at you and your premium cable channels. Humble bragging? Well la-di-da. Three shows? Here you go:

1. "Sonic Highways" on HBO: Very cool concept. Dave Grohl and the Foo Fighters travel to eight different cities, tell the history of each city's music scene through the artist's eyes, and write a song for their new album in each locale. Awesome. Seattle episode is a can't-miss.

2. "The Comeback" on HBO: Lisa Kudrow and Seth Rogen are terrific together.

3. "Married" on FX: Lost in all the love for FX hits "Archer", "The League", and "Louie" is this gem of a comedy. My favorite 30-minute sitcom this year. Great stuff about a married couple living in the Valley in California, and raising a few kids. Sounds exciting, I know, but I promise — it's great.

WEEK 14 CHEAT SHEET TRIVIA ANSWER OF THE WEEK

Peyton Manning (September 2013) and Tom Brady (October 2014) are the only other quarterbacks to have more than 13 touchdowns and zero interceptions in a month.