Now that Peyton Manning is done playing, is Philip Rivers the undisputed best quarterback in the AFC West?
The other projected starters are: Mark Sanchez (Broncos), Alex Smith (Chiefs) and Derek Carr (Raiders).
All three have strengths. None of them, however, comes close to Rivers in career passer rating, games won or touchdown passes.
Rivers is why the Chargers, who'll open training camp on Saturday, have a puncher's chance to get back to the playoffs.
Skepticism is also in order. Even with Rivers missing no significant snaps for them, the 2015 Chargers did a face-plant.
The franchise, from the Spanoses on down to the 53th man on the roster, should still be smarting from the 4-12 performance that included an 0-6 mark within the West.
Good Golly, as Rivers would say, it was a rough voyage. A rusty Michael Vick, quarterbacking a Steelers offense he knew at only a minimal level, walked off Jack Murphy Field with a victory. So did Brock Osweiler. Carr and Smith both collected two Ws opposite Rivers.
The Chargers lacked power and force, finishing near the bottom in both rushing and defending the run.
Rivers wasn't blameless in the 12 defeats, of course. But I'm convinced, after watching every snap for the seventh season in a row, that he still performed at a good level.
His mental processing was better than average before and after the snap, as was his accuracy.
I saw no signs that the 34-year-old lost arm strength or mobility.
A mountain of evidence speaks to his prowess. Only five quarterbacks will go into the 2016 season with a higher passer rating. His career mark of 95.5 trails all-time leader Aaron Rodgers, then Russell Wilson, Tony Romo, Tom Brady and Drew Brees, his predecessor in San Diego.
He's thrown 281 touchdown passes. The only quarterbacks still playing who've thrown more TD passes are Brady, Brees and Eli Manning.
Everyone in the West is still chasing the Broncos. The last time they didn't win the West was so long ago, in 2010, that Mike McCoy was their offensive coordinator. Brady Hoke was San Diego State's head football coach, and the Padres were a winning team.
Denver, having lost both Manning and Osweiler, is turning to former Jets starter Sanchez and grooming rookie/first-round draftee Paxton Lynch along with sophomore Trevor Siemian.
Sanchez holds a career passer rating, 74.3, that's about 15 points off the league average and even further below the 96.5 that Manning assembled over his Hall of Fame-level career.
The 4-2 playoff record Sanchez compiled with the Jets is germane today, the Broncos hope, because Denver is relying on the same defense-first formula to win games. Just two years ago, the 29-year-old put up a career-best 88.4 rating in the Eagles' read-enhancing, no-huddle offense.
The Chiefs' Smith, 32, shows a career rating of 84.5 but led the division with a 95.4 mark last year and provides a bonus dimension as a rusher. A former San Diego prep star whose record is 30-16 under Chiefs coach Andy Reid, he said he's improved his pocket game by studying Rivers.
Third-year pro Carr, who's made all 32 starts since joining Oakland, carries a 10-22 record and 83.7 rating. The 25-year-old has the strongest arm of the four, and will look to rebound from a wobbly final five games of '15.
For all of Denver's strengths, Manning's absence likely corresponds with a lower football IQ for the team.
The Manning Era in Denver saw the Broncos win four AFC West titles, two Super Bowl berths and, five months ago, a Lombardi Trophy.
Denver was 45-12 with Manning, a win rate of 79 percent.
Though his performance deteriorated in 2015, he was a mental giant to the end. Called upon to relieve Osweiler in the season finale, he made astute reads that unlocked the ground game and ultimately doomed the Chargers.
Rivers, six years Manning's junior, regains the role of dean of quarterbacks in the AFC West.
If the Chargers are to wring a playoff berth out of his rare know-how and polished pocket game, the ground game and the defense need to earn their paychecks.
