QB Philip Rivers hopes to lead the Colts to the playoffs by ending the Jags' six-game win streak.
Philip Rivers' return to the Indianapolis Colts hasn’t been a total bust. Although the Colts haven’t won a game since his return, Rivers hasn’t played that badly.
He has thrown for nearly 400 yards and three touchdowns in the two games with the Colts since his return after five years of retirement. The 44-year-old may have lost a step or two, and he may not be able to threw it long like he use to, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t dangerous.
Throughout his 17-year career, Rivers had a lot of success against the Jaguars. Before retiring in 2020, whether quarterbacking for the Chargers (2004-2019) or the Colts (2020), against the Jags he has thrown for 3,195 yards and 26 touchdowns against eight interceptions, his passer rating averaging an extraordinary 112.1.
Now, you understand why the Jaguars may be leery of Rivers and the Colts heading into Sunday's division matchup in Indianapolis.
With his return to the league for the Colts' Dec. 12 game at the Seattle Seahawks, Rivers has become an inspiration for many, but he wants to be more than an inspiration. The future Hall-of-Famer and grandfather wants to lead the 8-7 Colts to the playoffs.
“Certainly, I think of my sons and those ball players that I’m in charge of [at St. Michael's], that they’ll see, ‘Crap, Coach wasn’t scared.,'" Rivers told reporters after the Colts' loss in San Francisco on Monday night. "The guaranteed safe bet is to not go for it. The other one is, shoot, let’s see what happens. I hope in that sense that it can be a positive to some young people."
Rivers has been cheered on not only by his friends and family, but the team he coached at St. Michael's Catholic High in Fairhope, Alabama, before returning to the NFL.
Players from that Cardinals team are set to attend Sunday's game at Lucas Oil Stadium, thanks to arrangements made by the Colts, WRTV in Indianapolis reported Friday.
Even Colts head coach Shane Steichen has been impressed by Rivers' performance.
“For him to go out there and do what he did, after five years off, to have the chance to win it and get a game-winning field goal, close to it, with 40 seconds left and then, (in a) hostile environment against a top defense,” Steichen said. “Just shows his commitment to coming back and playing the way he did and fighting like crazy for his teammates. I thought it was pretty awesome to see.”
But if Rivers can get the Colts to the playoffs, it will prove that in the NFL, 40-something is just a number.