Minnesota Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer joined the large contingent of people around the NFL who believe Philip River’s overall body of work over his 12-year career warrants his name being mentioned among the all-time greats.
Rivers, who has spent his entire career with the Chargers, ranks 14th all time on the career passing touchdowns list.
Zimmer is doing his best to get the Vikings defense ready for the man he referred to as an “all time great.
“He’s really tough. I really love everything about him. In my opinion he’s one of the best QBs of all time,” Zimmer said Wednesday, according to Chargers public relations director Bill Johnston.
“Philip is a great, great challenge each time you play against him,” Zimmer said on SiriusXM NFL Radio. “He’s extremely smart, he’s crafty in getting them in and out of the right plays. I think he’s extremely tough in the pocket. He’s going to stand in there and take his shots. And then he’s going to get the ball out quick when he needs to as well.”
Rivers is coming off a season in which he completed 66.5 percent of his passes for 4,286 yards, 31 touchdowns and 18 interceptions.
Rivers is leading the league this season with an 81.2 completion rate and an 89.6 accuracy percentage, and will challenge the Vikings defense on all levels.