The Indianapolis Colts brought quarterback Philip Rivers out of retirement in a Hail Mary for a playoff spot.

The Colts won seven of their first eight games but had an 8-5 record after losing a game and a quarterback against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Dec. 7. In the 36-18 setback, Daniel Jones sustained a season-ending injury, leaving Indianapolis with former Fairhope High School star Riley Leonard, a sixth-round rookie, at quarterback with two of the NFC’s best teams and two division opponents left on the schedule.

When the Colts kick off against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday, they will know if they remain in playoff contention. But even if Indianapolis has been eliminated from postseason consideration, Rivers will remain the starting quarterback on Sunday, Colts coach Shane Steichen said.

“Philip will take all the reps with the ones (at practice),” Steichen said on Tuesday, “and then, obviously if we had to make that switch 24 hours before the game, I don’t think that’s fair to Riley. So, yeah, Philip will be the guy this Sunday.”

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After five consecutive losses, Indianapolis has one path to the playoffs now, and that could be gone by Sunday. If the Houston Texans defeated the Los Angeles Chargers on Saturday, the Colts will be eliminated. If the Chargers win, then Indianapolis could reach the postseason by beating the Jaguars on Sunday and the Texans on Jan. 4, the final Sunday of the 2025 regular season.

“You’re definitely aware of it,” Steichen said of the Colts’ playoff path. “I think, obviously, the guys are aware of it. They see it. It’s all out there. Do we talk about it a ton in the building and in meetings? No. I mean, those guys are aware of it. But we know that we got a job to do and we got to go handle our business regardless of how the scenarios play out come Sunday.”

Rivers was almost five years removed from his previous NFL game when he started at quarterback for the Colts after three days of practice on Dec. 14. A close-to-the-vest game plan almost upset the Seattle Seahawks, but Indianapolis lost 18-16 on a 56-yard field goal with 18 seconds to play. On Monday night, Rivers threw for 277 yards and two touchdowns, but Brock Purdy tossed five touchdown passes in the San Francisco 49ers’ 48-27 victory.

“I haven’t got that far,” Steichen said about keeping Rivers in the lineup for the regular-season finale if this weekend ends Indianapolis’ playoff hopes. “So we’ll see how that all goes. But right now, yeah, Philip will be our guy.”

Rivers wound up a 17-year NFL career in 2020 with the Colts after he’d spent the first 16 seasons with the San Diego/Los Angeles Chargers. A former Athens High School standout, Rivers received eight Pro Bowl selections and left the game ranked fifth in NFL history in passing yards and touchdown passes.

Since leaving the NFL, Rivers has served as the football coach for St. Michael Catholic High School in Fairhope.

The Colts and Jaguars square off at noon CST Sunday at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.