Denver Broncos: Philip Rivers is the team’s greatest villain
Who is the greatest villain in the history of the Denver Broncos? According to NFLMocks.com, it’s Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers…
Who is the greatest villain in the history of the Denver Broncos?
According to NFLMocks.com writer Erik Lambert, it’s none other than Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers.
It’s hard to argue with that particular selection.
Rivers’ rivalry with the Broncos started off pretty one-sided, as the Chargers were the dominant team in the AFC West for a number of years after Rivers took over for Drew Brees in San Diego.
With LaDainian Tomlinson and Antonio Gates in their prime, the Chargers became the class of the AFC West but the Broncos have had a lot of success against Rivers in recent years.
As a matter of fact, in 25 games against Denver, the Broncos have a 13-12 edge.
The Broncos are the only AFC West team Rivers does not have more wins than losses against.
In his career, Rivers is 13-12 against the Chiefs and 16-8 against the Raiders.
What makes Rivers the greatest villain in the history of the Denver Broncos?
Fans of the team know, there’s just something more satisfying about Philip Rivers throwing an interception or getting strip-sacked at the end of games than any other quarterback.
That has a lot to do with Rivers’ competitive fire.
When Rivers makes a big play, he is going to let you know. When he’s upset with the officials, he will let it be known.
It really started to blossom when Jay Cutler became a full-time starter for the Broncos in 2007. Rivers’ brash cockiness did not mesh well with Cutler’s quiet arrogance and it made for some great TV. As the Broncos’ season came to a gut-wrenching close in 2007, Rivers and a couple of his San Diego teammates waved ‘bye-bye’ to Cutler as they coasted to a victory, sending the Broncos packing, essentially.
Perhaps no single game personifies the sweetness of victory over Rivers at any cost more than a 2008 game in Denver when the ‘Hochuli Rule’ was born.
Do you have a couple of hours? Check out the entire contest and re-live one of the most dramatic games in Broncos history.
On 2nd-and-goal, Jay Cutler rolls to his right as the Broncos are marching down the field for a game-tying score. He clearly fumbles the ball but Ed Hochuli blew his whistle, and 10 years ago in the NFL, when the whistle was blown the play was dead. Therefore, the officials could not award possession to the Chargers after review.
Two plays later, on 4th-and-goal, Cutler hits Eddie Royal for a touchdown.
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Mike Shanahan decided not to go for a tie and instead wanted to win the game right then and there. That’s exactly what the Broncos did. Cutler made an incredible throw to Eddie Royal for the two-point score on essentially the same exact play as the touchdown, and Rivers and the Chargers were left speechless.
In reality, the reason Rivers is a great villain for the Broncos is because he’s been so good throughout his career. The Broncos have had his number recently but there was a time where you could almost chalk up the two Chargers games as losses prior to the start of the season.
That’s how good Rivers and company were at one point.
The rivalry will continue in 2018 with Rivers and the Chargers early favorites to win the AFC West.