3 stats that perfectly sum up Philip Rivers’ career

1. 252 Straight Starts

From when he took over as the Chargers’ starter in Week 1 of the 2006 season to the Colts’ Wild Card Round loss to the Ravens this year, Rivers never missed a start. That streak of 252 straight (counting playoffs, with an even 240 in the regular season) is behind only Brett Favre (297 straight in the regular season) among quarterbacks.

Rivers famously played with a torn ACL in his only AFC Championship game appearance, a loss to the New England Patriots after the 2007 season. Even this year he played late in the season with a toe injury that may have sidelined lesser men (and certainly would’ve sidelined any quarterback who is mobile), with plenty of maladies (known and unknown) in between. Still, Rivers never missed a start and rarely even came off the field.

The debate can now fully rage over whether Rivers is a Hall of Famer, as passing numbers were up in the league during his era and he’ll retire without even an appearance in a Super Bowl. But there’s no debating his toughness, and a consecutive start streak tha seems unlikely to ever be touched is the most obvious proof.