If the San Diego Chargers jolt the NFL with another late-season surge, it will be up to one player to flip the playoff switch.

Philip Rivers is one of the most accomplished players at his position never to have played in a Super Bowl, much less won one. The league's leading passer is enjoying a potential season for the ages, and the most valuable player award is within his grasp.

"Peyton Manning could have won the last seven or eight MVP awards," says Trent Dilfer, an ESPN analyst and former Super Bowl-winning quarterback. "This is the first year that it is not even close. It is Philip Rivers."

It is another piece of valuable hardware — the Vince Lombardi Trophy — that has remained beyond Rivers' reach, even as the sand accelerates through his football hourglass. The quarterback turns 29 next month. After fending off critics earlier in his career, Rivers regularly is grouped with elite passers Manning, Tom Brady, Drew Brees and Ben Roethlisberger.

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But those quarterbacks have won a combined seven Super Bowls. It has been 47 excruciating seasons since the Chargers have won a league championship, the American Football League title in 1963. Not even Hall of Fame quarterback Dan Fouts and San Diego's high-flying "Air Coryell" offense of the 1980s got it done.

The franchise thought Eli Manning could change that, but he spurned playing in San Diego and was shipped to the New York Giants in a draft-day deal in 2004.

Since then, Rivers impatiently has watched the younger Manning and Brees, a former Charger, win championships. Instead of trips to the Super Bowl, Februarys in San Diego often have meant excursions to Balboa Park for the Chargers, who remain the NFL's biggest tease. They have conquered the AFC West — but little else — every season since 2006 with Rivers as the starter.

In 2010, another low-voltage start by the Chargers — five losses in their first seven games — threatened a possible repeat of 2008, when the team opened 4-8 but won the West with an 8-8 record. But Rivers, the cerebral gunslinger, has energized the hobbled Chargers (4-5) and kept them within striking distance of the surprising Oakland Raiders and Kansas City Chiefs.

Entering the team's Week 10 bye, he combined for 600 yards passing and six touchdown passes in consecutive victories against the Tennessee Titans and Houston Texans that have jump-started the Chargers entering Monday's home game against the Denver Broncos.

Only Hall of Famer Steve Young had a better touchdown-to-interception ratio (129-47, 2.74) than Rivers (124-52, 2.38) after 73 starts, according to Elias Sports Bureau. Ditto for passer rating (104.8 to 97.3). A handful of quarterbacks, Roger Staubach and Brady included, won 50 games faster than Rivers.

"I think I've played the last year and a half as consistently as I have ever played," the exuberant quarterback says in a quiet moment. "For the most part, I feel as confident and calm in the pocket in this offense as I ever have been. (Coach) Norv (Turner) and I have a great feel for what he is trying to get out of plays."

Entering Week 10, Rivers led the league in passing yardage (2,944) and TD passes (19, tied with Eli Manning ) and was the top-rated quarterback (102.9) with more than 125 pass attempts. Twice this season he has thrown for more than 400 yards (455 vs. the Seattle Seahawks, 431 vs. the Raiders).

Consequently, the 6-5, 228-pounder is on pace to break Dan Marino's single-season passing record of 5,084 yards.

"I wish I could have both (the record and a deep playoff run)," Rivers says. "I certainly would trade the record for the playoffs. I will take 200 yards (a game) the rest of the way if it means us winning. The record would be awesome, if it comes with us winning."

It might be bittersweet unless San Diego is zapped with second-half comeback lightning — hardly a historic bolt out of the Charger blue.

Minus the imminent threat of a final football cigarette, a bandana and a wood plank, Turner's team rarely appears ready to engage in meaningful hand-to-hand combat before autumn's leaves crinkle and fall. In each of the past four seasons, San Diego has mounted a down-the-stretch-they-come charge, with winning streaks of 10, six, four and 11 games.

The Chargers are 18-0 in Decembers since 2006, or since Marty Schottenheimer was head coach.

With the NFL's No. 1 offense, the Chargers think they can extend that mark. Rivers' productivity during the first nine games is phenomenal, given the team's shuffled lineup. A protracted holdout by star wide receiver Vincent Jackson was devastating enough, but injuries to Malcom Floyd, Legedu Naanee and Buster Davis (out for the season) left the Chargers precariously thin at the position.

Additionally, for the first five weeks Rivers played without holdout starting left tackle Marcus McNeill. The Chargers' offensive line has been rocky; two other quarterbacks (the Chicago Bears' Jay Cutler, 29, and Seattle's Matt Hasselbeck, 23) had been sacked more than Rivers (22) entering Week 10. He was sacked 25 times last season.

Among those who filled the void at wide receiver were veteran Patrick Crayton and rookie Seyi Ajirotutu, who cradled two touchdowns in a must-have 29-23 triumph on the road against the Texans in Week 9. Rivers completed his first 10 passes in the first half for 175 yards and two scores. He torched Houston with four touchdowns.

"Against a guy like that — with an arm like that — it does not matter who he throws to," Texans linebacker Brian Cushing says.

On another level

The Alabama-born quarterback has the ability to change the game with any throw, says Chargers tight end Antonio Gates, because he is adept at the full complement of passes 20 yards and longer — deep crossing routes, corner routes, go routes, fades and posts.

"He is completing throws at a higher level of difficulty than most guys," Dilfer says. "I don't want to mention names, but the spread-out, underneath-type passing game where the ball doesn't travel more than 10 yards is in vogue."

Rivers easily reads and defeats coverages and checks out of bad plays and formations. Chargers offensive coordinator Clarence Shelmon says it is tantamount to having a coach on the field.

"He has the uncanny ability — or maybe it's not uncanny — to do the right thing," Shelmon says. "You very seldom fool him."

Which is one reason why, this season, Rivers soars into another stratosphere: Marino's rarefied air.

No one would ever dare compare Rivers' still-unorthodox slinging motion to the Miami Dolphins great's classic overhand, quick-release style. Style points should not be confused with substance; Rivers is on pace to post the most prolific passing season. With seven regular-season games remaining, he needs to average 306 yards to eclipse Marino's standard, which he established in 1984.

NFL history is of interest and relevance to Rivers, who has studied quarterbacks since his youth. "I always have liked quarterbacks," he says, busting out in a good-ol'-boy grin. "I had posters of Marino, (Brett) Favre, (Joe) Montana, Young and (John) Elway lined up on my wall. I was a fan of all of them."

The Marino-Rivers linkage runs much deeper, Dilfer says. He says Rivers is the most dynamically competitive player at the position since the fellow who famously wore the aqua and orange in South Florida.

"When I played in Tampa, we practiced every (preseason) against the Dolphins," Dilfer recalls. "Every single play was a personal challenge to Dan to rip out your throat. Every time I see Philip, I flash back to Dan: 'Oh, my gosh, it is like watching Marino again.' Every play is a chance to slash away, and Rivers will do anything in his power to do it."

Marino never won a Super Bowl. But Brees — whom Rivers carefully observed as his understudy in San Diego for two seasons — did last season with the New Orleans Saints. The way Rivers has developed, Chargers fans can exclaim, "Drew who?"

That is not what they were clamoring for about four years ago. In 2006, Chargers general manager A.J. Smith did not re-sign Brees, who was coming off surgery on his right shoulder, and the quarterback departed for the Big Easy. Rivers has not missed a start since.

Among the most memorable was the 2007 AFC Championship Game loss to the New England Patriots. Refusing to sit out, the quarterback played with a torn anterior cruciate knee ligament that later required surgery and six months of rehab.

Rivers is tough and resilient and has a reputation for feistiness. Can you think of a more amped NFL quarterback? Peyton Manning and Brady unquestionably are top-grade field generals. But the Indianapolis Colts signal-caller occasionally lapses into a pout, and the Patriots QB often carries an air of Joe Cool.

Rivers? A torrent of emotion runs through him and often seeps into his teammates. When it comes to body language, Rivers is a pure fire-and-brimstone creature.

"There is a fine line there, (because) your guys have to know you," he acknowledges. "I trace that to playing football in the backyard (as a boy). That's just the way I played pickup games."

Rivers' self-demanding nature reminds Turner of two old friends who played the position and whose bronze busts now reside in Canton, Ohio. Turner was a college teammate of Fouts at Oregon and later served as Dallas Cowboys offensive coordinator for quarterback Troy Aikman.

"All three of them are such perfectionists," Turner says. "They want every play to work, every route to be right, every throw to be (precise). Troy didn't miss many throws, and he didn't like it when he did. Philip has the same trait. There is no question that (Rivers) is very headstrong, but I think it is a positive. He is hard on himself and demanding on our players. It is fun to coach, because if you get a guy like that, they bring out the best in the guys around them."

Rivers' meticulous work habits were encouraged as a boy. His father, Steve, played linebacker at Mississippi State and was Philip's high school coach in Athens, Ala. Mother Joan unfailingly analyzed her son's play. As a pre-teen, Rivers was not allowed to play organized football, so he spent countless hours at practice and watched game film.

He learned the principles of how to command a huddle and dissect a defense — before he reached seventh grade.

The complete package

Rivers smashed many passing records at North Carolina State, where he started as a freshman. Five times he was named MVP of a postseason game, including the 2004 Senior Bowl where Shelmon first encountered him. The coach distinctly remembers the moment.

"You know how some people say a player has 'it'?" Shelmon says. "Well, this kid has 'it.' His love of the game is as great as anyone I ever have been around. Along with his passion, he has a great understanding for the game."

Says Rivers: "It's not so much that my dad and I sat around drawing up X's and O's, it was just being around the game. I learned how to be a quarterback."

Rivers theorizes that his odd, slingshot throwing motion developed when, as a preschooler, he heaved regulation-sized footballs at his dad's practices.

"He started shot-putting it, and his dad never changed his motion because he became so prolific," says Hank Bauer, a former Chargers running back and team radio analyst. "If you are looking for the perfect quarterback, I guess the only real knock on him is that he is not a very fast runner. But even Marilyn Monroe had faults."

(Younger brother Steven Rivers, who wears Philip's familiar No. 17, has committed to play quarterback at LSU and is considered to be more athletic with a stronger arm.)

Even so, Rivers' intensity makes him the Jim Morrison of NFL quarterbacks.

"He lights our fire," Chargers running back Mike Tolbert says.

"When you see that type of emotion on the field, you have to have it, too."

Yet Rivers' highly demonstrative, firebrand nature has led some armchair quarterback/psychologists to question his on-field temperament, particularly during his earlier years. The notion lingers, and Rivers seemed to foster it during the season opener at Kansas City, a 21-14 loss.

Playing under difficult conditions because of inclement weather and crowd noise, Rivers became aggravated with the Chargers' poor play. At one point, the football slipped from his hand during a delay-of-game penalty; Rivers kicked it forward to the line of scrimmage. He later explained he did not want a teammate to dive on it and potentially get hurt.

Afterward, Peter King of Sports Illustrated scolded Rivers, writing, "(He) has to work on his anger issues on the field. He often looked like a 9-year-old on national TV. That angrily kicking the football stuff doesn't help you win games."

Rivers won't apologize for his on-field persona; neither will teammates. They say he is calculating in his outbursts and criticism is unwarranted.

"If you do not know Philip," Tolbert says, "you (mistakenly) would think sometimes that he is arrogant, not a nice guy or a team player — that it is all about him. He is the best at getting your team (fired up). He is second to none when it comes to leadership."

Says Gates of his quarterback: "He leads by voice and example. He says things when they need to be said."

And sometimes when they do not.

There was the time at Indianapolis after a 2007 playoff game when Rivers engaged in harmless back-and-forth with Colts fans as he departed. A couple of seasons ago, he and Cutler swapped spirited trash talk.

"From some of the clips fans have seen, it's not unfair (criticism)," Rivers says. "I can understand that it does not look good from the outside. People say, 'What is he doing hollering at Colts fans?' But it was all in fun. I can sit here and tell my mom or my wife every story (of what I said). So, in that sense, (the criticism) has been unfair. I haven't (said) anything wrong."

Passion without production is useless — like a porcupine with papier-mâché quills. Durable and ultra-competitive, Rivers is a tireless worker and dynamic leader in word and deed. "(He's) the hardest worker we have, on and off the field," says Shelmon, noting the complexity of San Diego's precision offense.

"This is not an offense you can walk in and pick up," he says, because of the multiple formations, shifts and post-snap variables.

Center Nick Hardwick insists Rivers has a photographic memory for seeing, identifying and recalling coverages.

Rivers laughs. "Well, I don't know if it's photographic," he says, "but I remember things once I see it or hear it. I am not a big note taker. I love to study and prepare. I enjoy the game within the game."

Bauer, who played with Fouts, says Rivers not only possesses "the mental aptitude and the physical skills, but it goes beyond that because he has a burning desire to put his job first — no shortcuts."

Dilfer is a good friend of fellow former Fresno State quarterback Billy Volek, who is Rivers' backup. "Peyton, Tom and Drew are (lauded as) ultra-preparation freaks, and Philip has taken that as a personal challenge," Dilfer says.

The proof is in the passing: Barring an injury, this will be the third consecutive season Rivers has thrown for more than 4,000 yards.

Since 2008, Rivers has thrown 81 touchdown passes with 28 interceptions while completing 65% of his passes.

Entering 2010, Rivers had posted 13 fourth-quarter victories, tying him with the Minnesota Vikings' Favre for the most in league history for a quarterback with 70 starts, including the playoffs.

With the Chargers trailing by seven or fewer points in the fourth quarter this season, Rivers' numbers are pedestrian: 55.9% completion rate, two TDs and three interceptions. In losses to the Chiefs, Seahawks and Raiders, Rivers had the Chargers in position to win, but the offense stymied itself with penalties, turnovers and miscues.

"I've had some unfortunate plays, some mishaps earlier in the season in some of those (close) games that hurt us," he says. "I wish I had them back."

The Chargers know their quarterback always will have their backs. Demanding of his teammates, Rivers is even more amped when it comes to the opposition, a veritable swashbuckler in shoulder pads who will swap swords at the drop of a mouthpiece.

There are more than a few NFL signal-callers who look, act and play as if they were priceless Faberge eggs that might shatter if hit hard.

"Some quarterbacks are timid and want to be protected by the offensive line — not this guy," says McNeill, who guards Rivers' blind side. "He is the guy who runs into a crowd (of defensive players) trying to fight someone, and we have to pull him back. He is fearless. You have to love playing for a guy like that."