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Here comes some (maybe) bad news....
#Chargers Head Coach Anthony Lynn announced Philip Rivers is in the concussion protocol.
— Los Angeles Chargers (@Chargers) November 13, 2017
Let’s start with how this happened. Philip Rivers is made entirely of Vibranium and whole milk. How the hell did the Jacksonville Jaguars manage to injure him?
I can only imagine how many flags would've been flying at the same time if Brady would've got hit high AND flipped like this. Refs saw nothing wrong here pic.twitter.com/9Df6c9bSdP
— Derrick (@YouATrip) November 13, 2017
Ooooohhhhhhhh.
Well, onto the next question: How did it take the Los Angeles Chargers 24 hours to diagnose Philip Rivers with a concussion?
Philip Rivers self-reported concussion symptoms today and he's in the concussion protocol, Chargers coach Anthony Lynn says.
— Greg Beacham (@gregbeacham) November 13, 2017
Self-reported. Of course. So, safe to assume that Rivers was playing in the game after being concussed. That’s less than great.
Obviously, we’re all wishing for a full and speedy recovery for Rivers, who is part of the unique group of “athletes that are great people in addition to being impressive on the field of play.” That being said...
The Chargers have been so poor this season (3-6) that if the AFC decided to go ahead and throw another playoffs with the six best teams that weren’t in the playoffs already, the Chargers would still be on the outside looking in.
Perhaps a better way of saying that is that they outrank, by record, just three other AFC teams: The 3-6 Broncos, the 3-7 Colts, and the 0-9 Browns.
It might be time for the Chargers to tank the rest of this season and hope for a Top 5 pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. Having Philip Rivers take his time in recovering from his concussion, rather than having him play in a meaningless game against a pretty good defense, would be a good way to help that cause.