Patriots Gridiron News: Bill Belichick weary of savvy Philip Rivers

New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick is very familiar with Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers and is prepared for mind games on Sunday.

While the New England Patriots will look to rally behind 41-year-old quarterback Tom Brady on Sunday, the Los Angeles Chargers will look to win one for their own veteran quarterback in Philip Rivers.  That’s what will make the AFC Divisional round matchup between the two teams so intriguing.

Yes, the changing of the guard at the quarterback position is apparent in the NFL.  Patrick Mahomes II, Jared Goff and Dak Prescott are in the wings waiting, while the Andrew Luck’s of the world are the here and now.  But there are two quarterbacks playing in Foxborough on Sunday who are ready to turn back the hands of time.

Perhaps, it’s not fair to put that much weight or even expectations for two men who have been in the league for a combined 34 NFL seasons, but the game between the Patriots and Chargers may come down to just that.  Which quarterback will be cerebral enough to outlast the opposing defense?

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Tom Brady will have to battle a physical and hungry Chargers’ defense, while Philip Rivers has the task of taking one of the great defensive minds in the game.  The New England Patriots don’t have the extreme talent on the defensive end, but collectively, they can make a Belichick scheme very effective against a pocket passer who will be looking for any edge he can get.

So, forget the Brady vs. Rivers key to the game, it will come down to Belichick vs. Rivers.  Speaking to the media Tuesday, Bill Belichick certainly sounds ready for a challenge.

"“Yeah, he’s really good at everything,” Belichick said.  “He’s very accurate on the deep ball, sees coverages well, sees matchups well, goes to the right place, throws the ball accurately.  He’s a big, strong guy that can stand in the pocket and handle himself with guys around him.  He does a good job at the line of scrimmage of controlling the offense, the protection.  Obviously, the offense runs through him and he does a good job of getting the Chargers either into good plays or out of bad plays, however you want to look at it.  Obviously, his durability and his consistency – I mean, the guy has started over 200 straight games.  That’s pretty impressive.  He does everything well.”"

Rivers is on his game

In throwing for 4,308 yards with 32 touchdowns and 12 interceptions, Phillip Rivers has performed at a high level for the 12-4 Los Angeles Chargers this year.  With weapons like Keenan Allen, Travis Benjamin and tight end Virgil Green to get the ball to, the 15-year veteran is very dangerous, especially since he views these playoffs as his last possible chance to get to the big game.

Also, through in the fact that he is 0-7 in his career going up against Tom Brady and there is a motivation factor to consider as well.  Needless to say, Rivers is a quarterback that won’t be easily confused into mistakes.  He has seen everything, so Bill Belichick and his defense has to find something to keep him off-balance.

That could just be an old-fashioned get after the quarterback type game.  He will be expecting something exotic from Belichick.

A simple base defense may be what shakes him up.  That’s where the New England Patriots defense will just lean on their reliable players.  Expect Trey Flowers, Dont’a Hightower, Patrick Chung and Kyle Van Noy to have a big impact in this game.