INDIANAPOLIS -- You shouldn’t be fooled into thinking the Colts don’t have anything to worry Sunday about when they host the San Diego Chargers because of the pile of injuries the visitors are dealing with.

What matters is the Chargers still have quarterback Philip Rivers on the roster. And Rivers has been a nasty thorn in the side of the Colts during his career. Counting the playoffs, Rivers is 5-1 against Indianapolis. He’s completed 67.5 percent (112 of 166) of his pass attempts and thrown six touchdowns with four interceptions in those games.

“Philip Rivers shows no signs of slowing down,” Colts coach Chuck Pagano said of the 34-year-old, who's in his 13th NFL season, all with the Chargers. “He does as good a job as anybody pre-snap of gathering information. When you go through and you look at the play clock and do the cadence study, there are a lot of times where there are one or two seconds left on the play clock before he snaps it, especially on third down.

“And he does a great job of getting the defense to show their hand. You try to do as good a job as you can to try to hide what you are doing. There is nothing that he has not seen. He keeps his eyes down the field, his arm strength is still there and his arm talent is still there.”

Rivers will come to Indianapolis without some of his favorite weapons on offense. Receivers Keenan Allen and Stevie Johnson and running back Danny Woodhead are all on injured reserve. Tight end Antonio Gates is doubtful with a shoulder injury.

But Rivers’ knowledge of the game and preparation is part of the reason why he’s still so successful. He’s completed 70 percent of his attempts with five touchdowns and no interceptions this season. The Chargers jumped out to 35-0 lead on Jacksonville before beating the Jaguars 38-14 in Week 2.

“We have a lot of respect for Philip and the job that he does, not only as a physical football player but more importantly as a mental football player,” Colts defensive coordinator Ted Monachino said. “His football IQ is off the charts, and we’ve got to do a great job of being precise in our disguise in everything that we do.