Can Colts Count on Philip Rivers?
Don't let an accounting of mistakes in an Indianapolis Colts loss cloud the most obvious concern about this team.
And it's the same concern the Colts had this offseason, when they agreed to pay Philip Rivers $25 million to play quarterback for a 17th season.
As bad as Sunday's first half unfolded, the Colts got the ball to start the second half. Down 20-10 isn't ideal, but a scoring drive of any kind and the visitors are right back in this one on Sunday at FirstEnergy Stadium in Cleveland.
Instead, inexplicably, in a moment that conjured images of incredibly bad decisions that led to Rivers being released in the offseason, the 38-year-old quarterback who should know better made the worst possible throw.
Colts wide receiver T.Y. Hilton wasn’t open. He was covered on the sideline. But Rivers stepped up in the pocket and threw it there anyway — directly to Browns safety Ronnie Harrison, who had nothing but open field on a 47-yard TD interception return.
Rivers would throw another interception later. And although head coach Frank Reich tried to take the blame for another mistake, Rivers panicked on an end-zone pass and hurriedly chucked the ball toward the Colts sideline with nobody in the area code. That safety made it 29-20 Browns.
It’s difficult to stomach the fact that despite a poor first half by the Colts’ No. 1-ranked defense, those guys got it together in the second half and allowed only a field goal in the final minute.
Those nine points — the pick-six and the safety — were pivotal. Simple math really. Browns 32, Colts 23, final. Yeah, nine points.
Not all the excuses in the world can detract from that fact.
Rivers was brought in to be a key piece to an offense that didn’t throw the ball down the field enough and relied too much on the run game last season. He was supposed to be that missing link, the wily veteran who has seen every possible defense and reacts calmly under pressure.
After five games, the Colts are 3-2 because the defense dominated three bad offenses. Rivers has five interceptions, four of those in the two losses, and just four TD passes.
Rivers’ critics who weren’t sold on his marriage contended that the quarterback’s M.O. is about taking chances and, although his career numbers put him among elite passers, he has a tendency to throw killer interceptions. He’s often led teams back from deficits only to disappoint when the game is on the line. Those same critics are nodding now.
Philip Rivers grimaces after throwing an incomplete pass.
Ken Blaze/USA TODAY Sports
It’s not a stretch to say that Rivers has yet to prove himself worthy of those big bucks. That might seem harsh, but he knew what he signed up for with the Colts. This was a winnable game, even with All-Pro linebacker Darius Leonard and offensive left tackle Anthony Castonzo out with injuries.
The Colts defense intercepted Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield twice in the second half. The Browns were literally limping to the finish.
If Rivers could deliver ... but he couldn’t.
When postgame questions focused on his mistakes, Rivers’ brevity was telling. But there were moments when his candor hit the mark.
“The interception for a touchdown killed us,” he said.
Yes, it did.
“Offensively, we didn’t do enough to win,” he said.
True, again.
He said he didn’t hate the second interception as much because the Colts were down two scores and Rivers sensed the need to take a chance.
But it was 29-20 with 11:35 remaining when he finally tried to throw a pass to overlooked and ignored tight end Mo Alie-Cox, who for some dumb reason didn’t have a reception in the game and this was his only target. There’s a reason Alie-Cox has two TD catches and leads the Colts in receiving, right Mr. Rivers and Mr. Reich?
Rivers admitted that he could have held the ball longer to give tight end Jack Doyle more time to get to a spot on the incomplete sideline pass that was flagged for intentional grounding and gave the Browns the safety.
And let’s be honest about something else. This isn’t the Baltimore Ravens defense. The Colts get to see those guys later on. Geez, can’t wait.
Although the Browns improved to 4-1, their best start in 26 years, it’s not like the defense Rivers was facing had been impressive so far. The Browns ranked 30th in defending the pass and 25th in total yards allowed.
Rivers completed 21-of-33 passes for 243 yards without a TD and two interceptions for a 60.5 passer rating.
Consider that Mayfield, after his impressive opening half, had just 19 passing yards in the second half, and still won. The Browns’ No. 1-ranked rushing attack had to earn 124 yards on 33 carries, 3.8 yards per carry.
No doubt, this game was there for the Colts to win. But that was only if the veteran quarterback showed his smarts and made plays, which he didn’t do nearly often enough.
“Who cares about stats?” Rivers said. “Who cares about stats?”
Well, everybody watching when they relate to multiple interceptions. As much as the Colts are asked about struggling to execute on third down and in the red zone or why the rushing game has yet to be as strong as last season, the offense is built around the quarterback. Whether he’s passing for a lot of yards or not, more touchdowns than interceptions is the expected standard.
If the Colts defense continues to dominate bad offenses and allows Rivers to be an effective game manager in winning as this team did in the previous three games — allowing 11 or fewer points each time — that might get the record to 8-8 or 9-7 by the end of the season.
But that’s probably not going to be good enough to make the playoffs, and even if so, a good team with a solid defense will put Rivers in that uncomfortable position of trying to make a play when it isn’t there — and history will repeat itself, much to the dismay of many.
As much as Reich believes in Rivers, no postseason or a quick one-and-out will be enough for general manager Chris Ballard to ante up another $25 million to bring Rivers back. The Colts haven’t made the playoffs in four of the past five years. They were expected to get there this season. No excuses.
When asked about the pick-six again, Rivers shook his head and ended his video call with, “It just wasn’t a good play. That’s about all the explanation you’re going to get.”
Then he gave a stern stare, as if to say, “That’s enough.”
Well, that’s not good enough. We can’t forget about his worst play this day, a mistake Rivers just can’t make.
(Phillip B. Wilson has covered the Indianapolis Colts for more than two decades and authored the 2013 book 100 Things Colts Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die. He’s on Twitter @pwilson24, on Facebook at @allcoltswithphilb and @100thingscoltsfans, and his email is phillipbwilson24@yahoo.com.)
