CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - OCTOBER 04: Philip Rivers #17 of the Indianapolis Colts during warm ups before the game against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field on October 04, 2020 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Quinn Harris/Getty Images)Philip Rivers added to his Hall-of-Fame career on Thursday night against the Tennessee Titans.
The Colts quarterback passed former Dolphins great Dan Marino for fifth on the all-time passing yards list. Rivers broke the record on his first completion of the game, an 11-yard pitch and catch to Jonathan Taylor. He ended the game with 61,666 career passing yards.
Late on Thursday night, the 38-year-old quarterback reacted to the one of his biggest career accomplishments.
“It’s special, it’s special,” Rivers said. “Those guys up there on that list, I don’t know that I’m in their category and that’s OK, but Dan Marino was on my wall. He was a poster on my wall as a young boy in Decatur and Athens, Alabama, so it’s special.
“Thankful that I’ve been able to play long enough. Thankful that I’ve been healthy enough to play over 230 in a row now and watching Dan Marino, meeting Dan Marino at the Senior Bowl, playing against his teams, it’s all special. It’s all just special and thankful that here, at 38, I’m still getting out here and competing and playing the game I love.”
“Dan Marino was on my wall as a young boy in Decatur and Athens, Alabama.” 🙏
Philip Rivers on making NFL History on #TNF 👇 pic.twitter.com/QFWJNfAaPg
— NFL Network (@nflnetwork) November 13, 2020
Rivers definitely sounded humbled by the opportunity to even be mentioned alongside Marino. With the achievement, the Colts quarterback will be associated with some of the game’s other all-time great passers. The other Hall-of-Famers that rank in the top-five are Drew Brees (79,536), Tom Brady (76,969), Peyton Manning (71,940) and Brett Favre (71,838).
Maybe even more importantly for Rivers, the Colts went onto beat their division opponent 34-17. In the game, the 38-year-old quarterback ended with 308 yards and one touchdown. With the win, Indianapolis improved to 6-3.
Rivers will get the chance to celebrate his accomplishment during a slightly longer practice week. The Colts return to action on Nov. 22 against the Packers.
