Lenny Ignelzi/Associated Press

San Diego Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers left the team's Week 9 game against the Miami Dolphins after suffering a hand injury, the team announced.

Continue for updates.

Sunday, Nov. 16

Rivers Available for Week 11

As expected, Rivers will start against the Raiders today, per Ricky Henne of Chargers.com:

Sunday, Nov. 2

Rivers (Hand) Replaced by Kellen Clemens vs. Dolphins

Backup Kellen Clemens came into the game to replace Rivers. A five-time Pro Bowler, Rivers' injury history is a promising sign for the Chargers. He has never missed a regular-season game in seven years as a full-time starter, though in 2007 he did suffer a torn ACL during a playoff game.

For most of his career, Rivers has been defined by overall reliability and consistency. He has four full seasons with a quarterback rating over 100 and even his "down" seasons trend more toward league average than deserving of a benching. The Chargers' firing of Norv Turner and hiring of Mike McCoy proved to be perfect last season, as Rivers turned in one of the best seasons of his career.

He set a career high in completion percentage (69.5), throwing for 4,478 yards and 32 touchdowns against 11 interceptions. The Chargers, expected to settle near the bottom of the AFC West, instead earned a surprise playoff berth.

Uncredited/Associated Press

The surprise upswing led to increased expectations coming into 2014—both for the team and for Rivers himself. McCoy was open about his desire to see more drives finish in touchdowns, while Rivers seemed excited to work under new offensive coordinator Frank Reich.

“He and I hit it off very well last year,” Rivers said, per the team's official website. “We communicate really well together and understand one another as far as what we both like and how we communicate. He has a great demeanor for it…he’s very calm but demanding. He gets the job done (by being) very in charge in a low-key way.”

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Entering Week 9, Rivers was a sure-fire MVP candidate. Though the Chargers' disappointing showing against the Dolphins likely forced Rivers out of that conversation, he has still been mighty impressive thus far.

Rivers was one of the four or five best quarterbacks in football last season by nearly every measure, finishing behind only Peyton Manning and Nick Foles in Pro Football Focus' QB Rating (subscription required) and second behind Manning in Football Outsiders' DYAR. He was accurate on more than three-fourths of his passes, dominated against pressure (h/t PFF, subscription required) and did it all despite an average offensive line.

It should be noted that "average" was far better than anything he had to work with when pundits were speculating about his downfall. Rivers, who turns 33 in December, should have three or four years of prime football left. Taking him out for someone like Clemens, a career backup with a career quarterback rating lower than Rivers' 2013 completion percentage, will not end well.

Follow Tyler Conway (@tylerconway22) on Twitter.