Philip Rivers
The longtime Chargers leader gets a bit of an asterisk. His first season as the starter was 2006, his third NFL season. Rivers was outstanding in taking over for Drew Brees in San Diego.
The asterisk continues into his second season. While Rivers wasn’t quite as successful in his second season, the team was still good enough to win 11 games and two playoff games on top of that.
| Record | Comp. % | TD/INT | QB Rating | |
| 1st year | 14-2 | 61.7 | 22/9 | 92.0 |
| 2nd year | 11-5 | 60.2 | 21/15 | 82.4 |
That 2007 remains Rivers’ worst statistically. He spiked up quickly across the board thereafter and remained one of the league’s best for over a decade. Rivers led the NFL in yards per attempt in each of the next three seasons. Given Rivers’ lengthy and odd career, the irony that his team made its deepest playoff run in his worst individual season is right on schedule.