Grading Philip Rivers’ NFL Return in Loss and What to Expect With Colts

A storybook ending didn’t materialize for Philip Rivers after unretiring and starting at quarterback for the first time since the 2020 campaign. He’s not Dennis Quaid in Disney’s The Rookie. For frame of reference, Quaid played a former baseball player who was 35 years old at the time of his MLB debut.

With the Indianapolis Colts’ playoff hopes rapidly dwindling, the organization turned to the 44-year-old grandfather. Considering the circumstances, Rivers performed well despite the obvious limitation of subpar arm strength.

Still, the Colts hoped Rivers could provide a Peyton Manning-like late-career presence, given his experience and ability to put the offense in the right play each time. Rivers did do enough for the Colts to be in a position to win with 47 seconds left to play.

In the end, Rivers reset his potential Hall of Fame clock to return and threw for 120 yards, a touchdown and an interception during the last-second loss to the Seattle Seahawks.

“Hopefully, my sons and those ball players that I’m in charge of at the school, they’ll say like, ‘Crap, coach wasn’t scared,'” Rivers told reporters after his first NFL action in nearly five years … There is doubt and it’s real. The guaranteed safe bet is to go home or not go for it. The other one is, ‘Shoot, let’s see what happens.’ I hope in that sense it can be a positive to some young people.”

What Should the Colts Expect At QB Over the Next Three Games?

When evaluating Rivers specifically, he didn’t look out of place or incapable of competing. In some ways, vintage Rivers showed up with his intensity and trash-talking, while finding ways to complete passes even though they’ve always looked unorthodox.

After all, Rivers threw the game’s only touchdown. He also connected with Alec Pierce on a back-shoulder throw on 3rd-and-7 to continue the Colts’ final scoring drive. The aging gunslinger did just enough to put his team in a position to win.

“It was pretty special to see that,” head coach Shane Steichen said. “I’m not going to lie. It was awesome to see him, how excited he was. Brought back the flashbacks of five, six years ago, the way he operated out there and the communication on the sidelines with the O-line walking up and down. He was confident, like, ‘I can do it.'”

Unfortunately, the Colts defense didn’t hold up its end of the bargain during the final minute of play.

Part of the reason Rivers was considered a solution for this particular situation stemmed from his familiarity working with Steichen, who served as his quarterbacks coach for four seasons as part of the Chargers organization. The veteran’s understanding of the offense and previous playing experience with the Colts made it a natural transition. Some of the current Colts actually played alongside Rivers during the 2020 campaign.

At this point, Indianapolis has to wonder if it can squeeze enough out of Rivers physically to win at least two more games and make the postseason. The Colts know what to expect mentally from the quarterback.

“It’s incredible seeing him operate. He’s so smart,” Pierce said. “I know what the quarterback checks are and what they’re doing and stuff. … I’m looking out there, and I’m like, ‘This is a good look for (this call),’ and he’s like, ‘Nah, I knew they were faking it.’ I don’t know how he knows all this stuff. I gotta figure that out, but he’s definitely got a lot of knowledge, and it’s pretty special playing with him.”

At the same time, Rivers doesn’t have much juice left in his arm. Passes tended to float instead of being driven toward receivers. The veteran quarterback didn’t complete a pass longer than 17 yards. Seahawks cornerback Devon Witherspoon admitted Seattle’s defense had to adjust in-game on how they played the ball.

As a result, upcoming defenses won’t feel threatened by the Colts’ previous vertical passing attack, specifically Pierce’s ability to stretch the field. Indianapolis’ passing lanes will be constricted as defensive backs walk up closer to receivers and condense the field, which will only make life more difficult on the run game as well.

Can Rivers Do Enough to Push the Indianapolis Into the Postseason?

No is the short answer. The schedule is too difficult, and the Colts have fallen too far behind thanks to their current four-game losing streak.

Currently, the Colts sit a game behind the Houston Texans for the final AFC playoff spot. The Texans also hold the edge in the teams’ head-to-head matchup, though they’ll meet again in Week 18. Plus, Houston currently has one more win against conference competition.

Aside from the Texans, the Colts are still set to face the San Francisco 49ers and Jacksonville Jaguars. In total, Indianapolis’ remaining opponents own a combined 29-13 record, while each features a top 11 scoring defense.

Rivers may have been enough had the rest of the Colts roster been fully healthy, but both of Indianapolis’ starting offensive tackles are banged up, and neither of the team’s top two outside corners played Sunday. The Colts feature a talented roster, but the team can’t overcome all of this and hope to make the postseason.

Instead, Indianapolis is set to waste an amazing start to the campaign. At least, everyone can enjoy watching Rivers trying to best Father Time while bracing for the Colts’ inevitable postseason demise.