Philip Rivers Dreadful 2019 Season Still Leaves Him Well Ahead of Eli Manning in 2 Key Career Stats

Philip Rivers and Eli Manning will forever be compared to one another. Already two of the biggest names in the 2004 NFL Draft class, many people forget Manning was actually selected by the Chargers with the No. 1 overall pick that year, and then subsequently traded for Rivers after the Giants selected him with the No. 4 pick.

As both of their NFL careers wind down 15-plus years later, the comparisons continue to arise. Manning has already been benched this season in favor of rookie quarterback Daniel Jones. Rivers, on the other hand, is still playing, albeit not well.

Philip Rivers has thrown 7 interceptions in his last two games, the most in any two-game span in his career.

Monday was his 61st loss by 7 or fewer points as a starting quarterback, the most by a starting QB in the Super Bowl era. pic.twitter.com/uAGc3JzLPw
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) November 19, 2019

Following his four-interception performance against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 11 on "Monday Night Football," fans and pundits alike are beginning to request the same fate for Rivers. Although, when you look at two key QB stats, despite his immense struggles this season, Rivers still leads Manning by a wide margin.

Rivers still needs 49 interceptions in order to match Manning's career total of 241. Additionally, even if Rivers were to throw those 49 more interceptions (on 49 consecutive passes), his career passer rating (95.0) would still be better than Manning's (84.1).

Philip Rivers just threw for nearly twice as many yards as Mahomes, threw the Chargers into position to tie or win ... and threw his FOURTH interception, the game-ender in the end zone. So Rivers. Great career stats. No ring.
— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) November 19, 2019

The one area Manning does have a definitive advantage over Rivers in is playoff success, headlined by two Super Bowl rings, which many would argue is the most important stat of them all. Manning also boasts an 8-4 career NFL postseason record, compared to Rivers' 5-6 mark.

So as their NFL careers inch closer to the end and the debates continue, there's still one last question that remains about each quarterback: does either of them deserve to be in the NFL Hall of Fame?

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David Kaestle is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, David also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username davekaestle. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.