4. Philip Rivers
Other than Derek Carr, Philip Rivers might just be the best quarterback in the AFC West right now. Calm down Kansas City Chiefs fans, there’s a reason why Andy Reid and his staff took a quarterback so high in the draft this season. Alex Smith is not and has never been an elite player at the position. He’s far from being bad, but he’s not on the level of Carr and Rivers.
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Rivers, arguably, has the best arsenal of weapons in the entire AFC West. With the addition of Mike Williams and a third-year running back in Melvin Gordon who is coming into his own, this Los Angeles Chargers offense is for real.
I don’t know about you, but I’m not too confident Derek Carr will be playing at an elite level like he was last season. A broken leg is never something to take lightly, which is why I wouldn’t be shocked to see Rivers leading the division in all passing statistics at the end of 2016.
His football career may be coming to a close, but Rivers isn’t going down without a fight. With better offensive line protection in front of him and an improving running game, he’ll play with a chip on his shoulder in 2017. And when he does that, he’s going to wreak havoc.