There has been plenty of praise for Peyton Manning's ability to carry an Indianapolis Colts offense that has been decimated by injuries.
Blasphemous as it may sound, there's another NFL quarterback who is doing a bit more with a bit less than Manning this season.
A marquee quarterback matchup will be on tap when Philip Rivers leads the resurgent San Diego Chargers into Indianapolis on Sunday night to face Manning and the Colts.
While much attention has been focus on Manning's ability to keep the Colts (6-4) in contention despite injuries that have ravaged his receiving corps and backfield, the four-time Most Valuable Player has nothing on Rivers.
After the Chargers came out of the gate with a typical slow start to the season, stumbling to a 2-5 record, Rivers has guided San Diego (5-5) to three straight victories and back in the mix in the AFC West.
Injuries and holdouts have also crippled the Chargers' offense. Their two leading receivers, Malcom Floyd and Legedu Naanee, have been sidelined multiple games by hamstring injuries.
Tight end Antonio Gates, who was off to a superb start to the season with nine touchdown passes in eight games, is likely to miss his third consecutive contest Sunday with a torn plantar fascia.
And rookie running back Ryan Mathews, the team's first-round draft choice, also has been hindered by injuries, missing two games and earning double-digit carries in just three contests.
Despite it all, Rivers leads the league in yards passing (3,177) and touchdowns (23) and is second to Michael Vick in passer rating (105.0). He already had five 300-yard passing games on the season.
During the three-game winning streak, Rivers has been magnificent with 10 scoring passes against three interceptions, including back-to-back games of four touchdown passes in his last two outings.
He carved up Denver in a 35-14 rout on Monday night to get San Diego back to the .500 mark.
The Chargers’ vaunted passing game will get a major boost Sunday with the return of Pro Bowler Vincent Jackson, who will make his season debut after sitting out the first 10 games due to a contract squabble and suspension.
Jackson has recorded consecutive 1,000-yard seasons to go with 16 touchdown receptions over the past two seasons, and hr gives Rivers a big target with his imposing 6-5, 245-pound frame.
Manning is No. 2 in the league in passing yards (3,059) despite having to go without two of his favorite targets in tight end Dallas Clark and Austin Collie. Clark is done for the season while Collie has been in and out of the lineup. He will sit out Sunday with concussion-like symptoms.
Running back Joseph Addai has missed the last four games with a neck injury and likely will sit out again Sunday. His backups also have been hurting, forcing Manning to go to the air at least 43 times in seven games this season.
The Colts have lost two of their last three, come up short in shootouts with the Philadelphia Eagles (26-24) three weeks ago and New England Patriots (31-28) last week.
The Chargers have won four of the past five meetings between the clubs.