How to Catch Colts vs. 49ers Action on Primetime

The Indianapolis Colts are desperate for a win, but it won't come easily when they face the San Francisco 49ers.

Dec 14, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; Indianapolis Colts quarterback Philip Rivers (17) hands the ball of to running back Jonathan Taylor (28) during the second quarter against the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images | Steven-Imagn Images

It's been a rough stretch over the last month for the Indianapolis Colts. After sitting at the top of the NFL for nearly the first half of the season, the franchise has fallen to the depths, losing four in a row.

While the return and subsequent decent game from Philip Rivers injects energy into the Colts' locker room, things will remain difficult to finish out the 2025 season.

Now, the Colts will face the 10-4 San Francisco 49ers at Lucas Oil Stadium on Monday Night Football in primetime. If the Colts want to keep their playoff aspirations active, they desperately have to win.

With another cross-conference tilt ahead, here's how you can catch all of the Colts vs. 49ers action this Monday!

Colts vs. 49ers

• Date/Time | December 22nd @ 8:15 ET
• Where | Indianapolis, IN @ Lucas Oil Stadium
• Television | ESPN - Joe Buck (Play-by-Play), Troy Aikman (Color Analyst), Lisa Salters (Color Analyst), Laura Rutledge (Sideline)
• To find out what games will be in your area, check here.
• Radio | Local Radio coverage: Sunday's game can be heard in Indianapolis on 93.5 / 107.5 The Fan, 97.1 HANK and the Ascension St Vincent Radio Network - Matt Taylor (Play-by-Play), Rick Venturi (Color Analyst), Larra Overton (Sideline)

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Dec 14, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; Indianapolis Colts quarterback Philip Rivers (17) walks to the locker room following a defeat against the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Ng-Imagn Images | Kevin Ng-Imagn Images

The Colts have seemingly fallen apart since Daniel Jones went down with a season-ending Achilles injury in Week 14 against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

After that, Shane Steichen and Co. had backup Riley Leonard ready for action, but he succumbed to a knee injury that gave Indianapolis cause for concern.

While Anthony Richardson Sr. was a name on the brain, he was on Injured Reserve while recovering from an orbital injury. He's returned to practice, but still has vision issues, prompting Rivers to start again against the 49ers.

"Indy is gonna be rocking Monday night, believe me."

Bruce Arians love seeing a field general like Philip Rivers back on the @Colts 🫡 pic.twitter.com/3NofcCiVTH

— Inside the NFL (@insidetheNFL) December 18, 2025

The Colts' 2025 season could go down as one of the wildest midseason collapses in the history of the NFL. After Steichen's first two seasons finished 9-8 (2023) and 8-9 (2024), there's a real chance one of those records is logged for his third season.

The Colts will walk into a matchup with a 49ers team that has won four consecutive games with an offense that is hitting it's stride at the perfect time.

The Colts can't afford to drop this one to tally their fifth-straight loss. If this happens, they very well may have to kiss the playoffs goodbye.

It might be tough for fans to hear this, but the Colts have a real chance to finish this year 8-9 after a horrific seven-game losing streak.

The 49ers, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Houston Texans are the remaining trio of contests, and with so many injuries affecting this team, it could prove to be too much to overcome.

However, this is a motivated team that doesn't want to see such an incredible start morph into a miserable finish without a postseason trip, yet again.

Rivers and his squad will be under the bright lights this Monday. The legendary QB never really got to play in front of a crowd during his 2020 season with the Colts due to COVID.

Now, he will perform in front of what will likely be a sold-out Lucas Oil Stadium with nearly everything riding on winning.

Rivers played admirably in Week 15, but will need to do more to get it done against San Francisco to help the Colts get back into the win column.

Kyle Shanahan explains why 44-year-old Philip Rivers is better than most 22-year-old quarterbacks. pic.twitter.com/8LNPm2oNJp

— Grant Cohn (@grantcohn) December 18, 2025