‘It’s pretty cool,’ Rivers says as run of starts hits 200
Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers has many accomplishments, but there is one trait in which he has taken great pride over his 15-year career: durability.
Rivers will become the fourth quarterback in NFL history to make at least 200 consecutive regular-season starts when Los Angeles plays in Seattle on Sunday.
If Rivers’ streak continues, he would tie Peyton Manning (208) at the end of the season. Eli Manning is second at 210. As for Brett Favre’s mark of 297, Rivers said that is too many games for him to have a chance.
“It’s pretty cool,” Rivers said. “I mean, obviously, the two Mannings and Favre have started over 200 in a row, and I just feel thankful.”
Longevity is nothing new for Rivers, who started 51 consecutive games at North Carolina State.
“I think just being out there each and every week has always been important,” he said. “Obviously, you want to be able to go out there and help. It’s not just be out there. You want to play at a high level, and that’s been up and down over 199, but being out there means something.”
The Falcons’ Matt Ryan, who is in his 11th season, has the second-longest active starting streak among quarterbacks at 138. The Seahawks’ Russell Wilson, who has started every game since entering the league in 2012, is at 103 and wouldn’t reach 200 until midway through the 2024 season. Hue Jackson’s perspective: Fired Cleveland head coach Hue Jackson disputes Browns owner Jimmy Haslam’s assertion there was “internal discord” on the coaching staff.
Jackson was dismissed by Haslam on Monday after going 3-36-1 over two-plus seasons. The owner cited a personality clash as the main reason he fired his fourth head coach in six years, along with offensive coordinator Todd Haley.
Jackson, speaking to ESPN, disagreed with his former boss and said he wanted to “set the record straight.”
“I don’t really think it was truly just about internal discord,” Jackson said. “I think that’s a strong word. I think you have disagreements with coaches — with Todd, with (defensive coordinator) Gregg Williams, with Amos Jones, who is also the special-teams coordinator. I don’t think that’s internal discord. I think when you look at it, the organization made a decision to go in a different direction.”
Jackson said he has gone public so quickly after his firing because he wants people to understand “I’m human just like anybody else. So what am I supposed to do? I’m not going to go crawl into a hole and say pull the covers.” Injury report: Buffalo quarterback Derek Anderson is questionable for Sunday’s game against the Bears because of a concussion. If Anderson cannot play, Nathan Peterman will start. Whoever gets the call might not have to worry about being chased by linebacker Khalil Mack, who was limited in practice Friday because of an ankle injury . ... New Orleans defensive end Marcus Davenport, who had two sacks against the Vikings on Sunday, won’t play against the Rams this Sunday because of a toe injury . ... Atlanta kicker Matt Bryant has been ruled out of Sunday’s game at Washington, meaning former Raiders and Cal kicker Giorgio Tavecchio will replace Bryant for the second straight game.