Double-digit underdogs in Seattle, the Colts delivered a surprising effort in a close loss. Despite Philip Rivers being out of football since the 2020 season, he reemerged to submit a capable performance — all things considered — against one of the NFL’s best defenses.
The Colts opted for Rivers over rookie Riley Leonard against the Seahawks, and they will start him against the 49ers on Monday night. Rivers’ workout came as a shock to most, given his time away from the game, and the plan was radical enough Shane Steichen consulted some veterans on his roster before signing him to the practice squad, ESPN.com’s Stephen Holder notes.
Mo Alie-Cox was among those brought in during the seminal player meeting. The veteran tight end is among the 14 players still with the Colts from the 2020 season. That is an unusually high number of vets still with the team from 2020, but as we covered in an October Trade Rumors Front Office piece, the Colts have clung to this core in hopes a quarterback would finally arrive and justify the assembly of a talented roster. When it looked like Daniel Jones had become that player, he ran into two leg injuries — the second an Achilles tear. This ushered in the Rivers Hail Mary, one that has delayed the now-18-year veteran’s Hall of Fame clock by five years.
On offense, the Colts also have Quenton Nelson, Braden Smith, Jonathan Taylor and Michael Pittman Jr. from Rivers’ 2020 season in Indianapolis. Rivers ran the offense effectively in Seattle, going 18-for-27 for 120 yards and a touchdown pass — to Josh Downs — in the 18-16 loss. Rivers operated as an inspirational figure of sorts due to his stature in the game and long absence, and it will be interesting to see how the Colts proceed with Anthony Richardson down the stretch.
Steichen and Rivers communicated regularly about the Colts, as the two had worked together for many years with the Chargers. The 44-year-old’s knowledge of Steichen’s system played the lead role in him being summoned for this unlikely opportunity. Considering Richardson’s status as a demoted player who has drawn maturity concerns, it would be interesting to see Rivers benched as the season wanes. Also worth considering is Richardson’s future in Indianapolis.
It is not yet known if the Colts will start Richardson’s IR-return clock this week, but it is in play after a broken orbital bone sidelined the struggling prospect in October. Indianapolis does not seem to have Richardson in its long-term plans any longer, seeing as a spree of Jones extension rumors emerged before (and after) his injury. Jones being a re-up target even after his Achilles tear is interesting when considering how poorly his Giants re-signing went, but the Colts trading two first-rounders for Sauce Gardner leaves them with limited options. As the team’s Jones plan remains, it would appear Richardson is set to head elsewhere in 2026.
The Colts could have the option of showcasing Richardson for a potential trade late this season or bubble-wrapping a player who brought tremendous accuracy concerns during his first two seasons. If/when Richardson is put on the market, evaluators point to the Colts not being able to obtain more than a Day 3 pick.
Three NFL staffers tabbed the former No. 4 overall draftee as being worth a fourth-round pick, per Yahoo.com’s Charles Robinson, as they liken this situation to the 49ers’ Trey Lance decision. The overdrafted Lance fetched a fourth from the Cowboys in 2023.
Indianapolis has fallen to 8-6; a loss to the favored 49ers would further dim playoff hopes that once appeared bright. The Colts turning to Leonard — who is signed through 2027 — may make more sense than pivoting to Richardson. But the talented but erratic QB remains in the picture for the time being. It will be interesting to see if Rivers stays in the QB1 role in Week 17.
Rivers played well, all things considered, because he ran the offense effectively. His passes notably lack velocity, but his precision is still shockingly good. He’s putting the ball where he wants it (insert joke about ten children), but it’s not getting there as quickly as it was before. That’s really giving the defenders an extra step, which hurts. That’s to be expected. However, the biggest advantage, by far, that he brings to the table is getting the offense into the right play.
As a personal note (and tangent to but unrelated to the practical reality of Rivers’ modern capabilities), it seemed like a bit of a measuring stick to me on how the quarterback play has fallen off over the years when it comes to offensive knowledge. You can see the prior generation of quarterback knowledge on display, and it reminds you how we used to take that for granted in the years prior to the current era. Rivers, who would probably have been an all time legend in most other eras, was never considered ahead of Manning, Brady, Brees, or Rodgers, but you can see how good he is at running an offense from reading the defense even after sitting for four/five years.
It makes you wonder how other elite QBs from that era, such as Roethlisberger or Ryan (or even just “good” ones like 2012 Flacco or E. Manning) would do in today’s league in their primes or near primes with the offense-heavy focus. The relative ease of running an offense today, with the safeguards and rules discouraging rough defense, have lessened the consequences for running bad offense when it does happen. I’d argue that that’s the cause of the quarterback decline (which carries over to college, even before the NIL/transfer madness further killed it), at least on the pro level.
The runway for development is much shorter. People are writing off Ward even though he’s won more games than Peyton Manning in his rookie year. This combined with NIL keeping viable prospects in college for longer (and more money) you’ve just hit a small pocket with a vacuum of talent. Goff was a cast off. Dak has an obscene amount of detractors. Purdy was Mr Irrelevant. The talent exists but some of it needs to be developed or it is lost. That means putting up with losing. People marvel over Rodgers at 42, but he also had 3 years behind Favre. The immediacy for results exacerbates the problem. I would definitely say there is more of a lack of offensive coaching talent, both in scheme and development than QB talent. It takes a lot of growth from the NCAA to the NFL. Trevor Lawrence was a bust until he got a good coach. It’s more of a coaching thing in my humble opinion.
He reminds me of an older Trent Edwards wile he was in his prime. (Not a good thing)
This guy threw like 30 passes for 120 yds or something. The bar is so low for him to get praise.
AR is worth a 4th…
But to who?
Effectively if you trade for him you are most likely carrying 3 qbs, because he can’t be a primary backup , and you dont trade for him to place him on a practice squad.
Yes Trey Lance was similar – but it was Jerry so – that’s like a handicap:
Let’s the Raiders trade for him for a 4th, draft nothing but O-Line the first 3 rounds, pick up another O-line in free agency, and then D-Line and LB the rest of the picks.
Jeanty and AR together with a run blocking line would be a nice 1/2 RB by committee
Trade down from the 2 spot and pick up another second rounder as well.
Wasting a Round 1 pick on QB would be pointless in this years draft for them. I’ll take chances with AR running the ball and throwing 15-20 times a game with 10-12 to those going to Bowers on short routes. Ball control, eat clock, stay in games and play Harbaugh style football for a year.