The Cleveland Browns have provided more evidence for Philip Rivers' stake to the claim of the NFL's beautiful mind.
Playing behind a depleted offensive line and down to just two healthy wide receivers in the fourth quarter, Rivers' brilliance was the difference in a Week 4 shootout with the Browns.
"He knew a lot of things that we were doing," veteran cornerback Tramon Williams said, via the San Diego Union Tribune.
"There were a lot of situations where he was kind of seeing what we were doing and making adjustments," linebacker Paul Kruger added.
If those testimonials sound familiar, it's because Rivers has made it a habit of outfoxing defenses at the line of the scrimmage.
When the Chargers beat the Eagles a couple of years ago, cornerback Cary Williams noted that Rivers knew everything Philadelphia's defense threw at him.
"Some days you get out-witted, some days you get outplayed, and today was one of those days," Williams added. "He just found the matchups. Philip Rivers is a great quarterback."
When offensive coordinator Frank Reich first arrived in San Diego as quarterbacks coach in 2013, he was immediately struck by Rivers' intelligence.
"I knew he was an elite passer, but I didn't realize this was one of the smartest football guys in the NFL, bar none," offensive coordinator Frank Reich raved last year. "If there is a top-10 list of smartest guys in the league, he's on it, promise you. ... He just sees it faster than anybody else."
As Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer recently noted, Rivers is one of the greatest quarterbacks of his generation.
