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Philip Rivers Must Be Feeling Better With Colts Than Chargers

Larry Rupp
Philip Rivers is feeling a lot less pressure in the pocket with the Colts compared to the Chargers.
Philip Rivers is feeling a lot less pressure in the pocket with the Colts compared to the Chargers. / Andy Lyons/Getty Images
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No one quite knew what to expect when the Indianapolis Colts signed quarterback Philip Rivers to a one-year deal worth $25 million, but it has worked out so far as the team is 2-1 and currently second in the AFC South Division.

When Rivers was with the Los Angeles Chargers for the first 15 years of his career, he was known for scrambling and getting hit a lot in the backfield. He was dealing with an offensive line that went through constant change and never solidified five true starters.

That is not the case through his first three games with the Colts, though. He feels little pressure behind a line made up of three first-round picks (Quenton Nelson, Ryan Kelly, and Anthony Castonzo), a second-round pick in Braden Smith and a fourth-round pick in Mark Glowinski.

duressThrough three weeks, Rivers has faced a rate of pressure of just 12.6 percent, which ties for the second-lowest mark in the NFL, behind only Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (12.1 percent). In the Colts' Week 3 matchup with the New York Jets, Rivers was pressured on just 2 of 21 dropbacks and went 17-19 for 218 yards and a touchdown when he was not under durress.

It is a nice change of pace for Rivers as he struggled to win games during his last few years with the Chargers and now has a real shot at making the playoffs with the Colts. Rivers ranks sixth all-time in NFL career passing yards and sixth all-time with a 94.5 career passer rating, but he has never won a Super Bowl.

Rivers and the Colts will look to keep it going when they face the 3-0 Chicago Bears in Week 4 NFL action.

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Larry Rupp is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Larry Rupp also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username phillyfan424. 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.

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