Last week, Philip Rivers had an inspiring game by simply not being terrible. This week, he was actually somewhat good, but the Indianapolis Colts still lost. Their season was on the brink, which was why they signed Rivers in the first place. He hasn’t been able to save them, but it’s still one of the best stories in the NFL this year.
Philip Rivers’ solid start not enough to save Colts
At 8-5, the Colts were reeling. They’d lost three straight after making a huge, all-in blockbuster to get Sauce Gardner from the New York Jets. Gardner was hurt. So was resurgent QB Daniel Jones. Backup and former top pick Anthony Richardson was, too.
Even Riley Leonard, the third-string QB, was banged up. The Colts called Philip Rivers. He’s a potential Hall of Famer, but he hadn’t played since 2020. He has grandchildren and coaches high school football. Yet, because he ran a similar offense to Indy’s with his team, they called him up.
He started against the Seattle Seahawks, and unfathomably did not get demolished. The Colts nearly won that game. His second start was against the San Francisco 49ers, and Rivers was much improved. It still wasn’t enough.
Philip Rivers Stats
The Colts lost 48-27, and Philip Rivers threw a pick-six that sealed it. However, he was otherwise pretty solid:
- 23/35 passing
- 277 yards
- 2 TDs
- 97.0 RTG
Those would be good numbers for anyone, let alone a 44-year-old making his second start in five years. Unfortunately, the 27 points he led the Colts to weren’t enough. Brock Purdy, 19 years Rivers’ junior, tossed a career-high five touchdowns. It’s hard for anyone to win when their opponent does that.
Rivers is likely going to be done, for good this time, with the NFL after this, but his return has been one of the strangest turns of events this year.
Comments on outing
“I’m torn on how to express it, because it’s been a blast,” the veteran said of his return to the NFL via ESPN. “It’s been a blast to prepare and to go stinking get ready and go out there and warm up and do all that with these guys again. But, again, the name of the game is not go have a good time. It’s help find a way to lead your team to a win. And we’ve come up short.”
Rivers doesn’t want a consolation prize, though a performance like that is one anyway. “It was better this week from a standpoint of offensively and points on the board. But you’ve got to win,” he admitted.
The veteran QB lamented that they’re not getting it done. He added that he’s only been here for two straight losses, while the rest of the “hurting” locker room is experiencing a five-game losing streak. “I know that’s tough,” Rivers said. “But we’ve just got to find a way to dig deep and find a way to win a football game.”
Unfortunately, the Colts are now on the brink of elimination after being 8-2. It’s a stunning and historic collapse, though QB injuries like the ones they’ve suffered will derail any team. The loss eliminated the Colts from AFC South contention, so they can only hope to snag a wild card, which is unlikely.
The Colts now need to win out against the Jacksonville Jaguars and Houston Texans, two of the hottest teams in the NFL right now. That’s not all. The Colts would also need help from other teams. The Texans will also need to lose out. The Colts will need to beat Houston and get a win from the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 16. That is feasible, but the Colts can’t afford even the tiniest setback.
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