The Philip Rivers experiment has been a thrilling one for the Indianapolis Colts. But after just around two weeks, there are reasons for them to consider calling it quits.

Indianapolis, which signed the veteran quarterback out of retirement in Week 15, has now lost five consecutive games in total, including two with Rivers starting, after Monday night’s 48-27 loss to the San Francisco 49ers. And while the Colts haven’t mathematically been eliminated from playoff contention, their chances are slim.

Late in the blowout loss on Monday night, young backup quarterback Riley Leonard entered the game for the Colts. Considering Rivers was brought in to help the team make a potential playoff push, is Indianapolis going to consider benching the veteran for Week 17, potentially sending him back into retirement?

Head coach Shane Steichen provided the team’s Week 17 quarterback plans on Tuesday.

Here’s what’s known about the Colts’ plans for Philip Rivers and why it would have made sense for them to turn elsewhere in their quarterback room.

MORE: Philip Rivers’ full stats, highlights from second start vs. 49ers

Will the Colts bench Philip Rivers?

The Colts are officially sticking with Rivers as their starter for Week 17 against the Jaguars, head coach Shane Steichen said Tuesday, per Jeremy Fowler. Despite low playoff chances and young QB options, Rivers will get at least one more start for Indianapolis.

According to James Boyd, Steichen said it wouldn’t be “fair” to Riley Leonard to start the rookie on 24 hours notice if Rivers took the first-team reps all week, referring to the Colts’ playoff chances.

Rivers as QB1 remains the expectation until Steichen says otherwise, even with Leonard coming into the game late in the fourth quarter of Monday’s blowout matchup. One previous comment from Steichen about Rivers remains prominent: “We didn’t bring him in here to sit on the bench.”

Per NBC Sports, when Steichen was asked leading into Week 16 about giving a potentially-healthy Anthony Richardson a shot at quarterback, the head coach said the Colts didn’t sign Rivers for him to be a backup.

“He’s excited for this challenge,” Steichen said of Rivers. “We obviously got to take it one week at a time, and then we go from there.”

Those comments held true even with the Colts’ playoff hopes dangling by a thread heading into Week 17, as Steichen officially tabbed the 44-year-old Rivers to start again for Indianapolis.

MORE: Everything to know about Philip Rivers’ 10 kids, family

Why would the Colts bench Philip Rivers?

Technically, the Colts are not out of the playoff race. They trail the Houston Texans for the AFC’s No. 7 seed by two games, but they also play Houston in Week 18. If the Colts win and the Texans lose in Week 17, they could set themselves up for a win-and-in game to end the regular season.

However, with the way things have gone for Indianapolis lately — Daniel Jones’ Achilles injury, a five-game losing streak and 48 points surrendered to the 49ers — it’s fair to wonder if it’d be more beneficial for the franchise to get good looks at a younger quarterback that coaches know will be around in 2026.

Rivers will be returning to retirement after the 2025 season regardless of the Colts’ playoff push, and the team is entering an offseason carrying a major quarterback decision with Daniel Jones being a free agent. With playoff chances low and two young quarterbacks on the roster in Riley Leonard and Anthony Richardson (depending on health), assessing either passer over the final two games could have been more beneficial than allowing Rivers to continue risking his health for a team likely outside of the playoff picture.

However, the Colts appear dead-set on still maximizing their playoff chances, even if they’re extremely slim, keeping Rivers as QB1. If they wanted to be a bit more realistic about their current outlook, they could’ve considered ending the Rivers experiment.

MORE: What happened to Anthony Richardson?

Colts remaining schedule

The Colts’ tough Week 17 matchup didn’t make their decision any easier, as they’ll host the AFC South-leading Jacksonville Jaguars next week. The Jaguars are coming off a statement win over the Broncos in Week 16.

If, somehow, Indianapolis beats Jacksonville and Houston falls to the Chargers, then the Colts’ playoff chances would be alive heading into a Week 18 against the Texans.

DateGameSun., Dec. 28vs. JaguarsTBDat Texans

MORE: Inside Philip Rivers’ high school coaching career

Colts QB depth chartRankPlayer1Philip Rivers2Riley Leonard3Anthony Richardson (out)4Daniel Jones (IR)

The Colts signed Rivers because of their injured quarterback room. Jones is done for the season after some terrific play in 2025, while his backup, former first-rounder Anthony Richardson, suffered an orbital fracture from a pregame incident that’s left him on IR for months.

Richardson has made progress in his healing from the injury lately, but his return this season is not guaranteed. That leaves Leonard, the rookie from Notre Dame, as the only healthy option behind Rivers on the Colts’ active roster.

Leonard did play virtually one whole game for Indianapolis already, stepping in against the Jaguars after Jones’ Achilles injury. In that game, Leonard totaled 145 passing yards and no passing touchdowns with an interception, plus five yards and a touchdown on the ground.

MORE: Full Colts quarterback timeline since Andrew Luck’s retirement