The Jaguars face a challenge as 44-year-old Philip Rivers remains QB1, defying odds and igniting fan interest.
The Jacksonville Jaguars will be favored to beat the Indianapolis Colts Sunday, regardless of who Indy's starter is, and coach Shane Steichen confirmed after Monday night's loss to the San Francisco 49ers at home that 44-year-old Philip Rivers is still QB1.
“We’ll see how that all goes, but right now, Philip will be our guy," Steichen told reporters.
This puts the Jags in a unique situation.
Jacksonville is a team that many neutral fans would find easy to root for.
After all, the Jags have never been to a Super Bowl, play in a "small market" and have one of the league's top offenses, and all of that makes them likable.
But not as likable as an NFL great who is defying the odds after not playing the game for five years.
Rivers' story is well known to football fans by now, and those who know his tale outside of Duval probably won't be rooting against him.
Steichen made it clear after Rivers' first start back in Seattle that Rivers wouldn't have the opportunity if the Colts didn't think he still had something in the tank.
"To bring in a guy of his age and where he’s at in his career — we didn’t bring him in here to sit on the bench. I’ll say that,” Steichen said. “So, he’s excited for this challenge. We obviously have to take it one week at a time, and then we go from there.”
Steichen knows that Rivers is the story every week, regardless of how he performs.
“Obviously, it is a story, and he knows that. But I mean, it’s about the team, and he’s here to help us win football games," Steichen said. "Otherwise he wouldn’t be here, and he’s going to fight like crazy, just like he always has his whole career to help win one week at a time — as to his mindset, and that’s what he’s looking forward to, of the challenge each and every week of preparing to get ready to go out and compete and try to win a football game.”
Jacksonville and Indy met once before this season, with the Jags winning that one 36-19 Dec. 7.
If the Jags beat Indy again and the Houston Texans lose to the Chargers in Los Angeles, the Jags will be AFC South champions.