The Los Angeles Chargers defeated the Baltimore Ravens by a score of 23-17 in the Wild Card Round of the playoffs on Sunday afternoon and will advance to battle the New England Patriots in the Divisional Round next weekend.
The matchup will pit 37-year-old Philip Rivers against 41-year-old Tom Brady, the oldest pair of quarterbacks to start a playoff game in NFL history, according to Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk.
Brady had also been a part of the previous record, when he, as a 38-year-old, battled 39-year-old Peyton Manning in the AFC Championship Game three years ago.
Both quarterbacks have shown their age at different points this season.
Rivers appeared to be an MVP candidate through the beginning of December, registering passer ratings of over 100 in 10 of his first 12 games and throwing just six interceptions over that span.
However, recently, Rivers has not been playing all that well, throwing six interceptions in his final three regular-season games and having a mediocre performance against the Ravens on Sunday, completing 22 of his 32 passes for 160 yards with no touchdowns.
Brady ended his season on a high note, throwing four touchdown passes in a blowout win over the New York Jets, but he had been struggling previously, including one of the worst performances of his career in a 126-yard, two-pick outing against the Buffalo Bills in Week 16.
The Chargers, who won 12 games, finished with a better record than the 11-5 Patriots this season, but New England was able to nail down the first-round bye because it won the AFC East division. Los Angeles finished behind the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC West.
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