Horseshoe Huddle

Why Colts' Offense is Doomed With Philip Rivers

A once-historic Indianapolis Colts offense has gone completely stale.
Sean Ackerman|
Dec 14, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; Indianapolis Colts quarterback Philip Rivers (17) walks to the locker room following a loss against the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field.
Dec 14, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; Indianapolis Colts quarterback Philip Rivers (17) walks to the locker room following a loss against the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field. | Steven-Imagn Images

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Indianapolis Colts

First off, Philip Rivers himself has made it clear that he's not here to save the day for the Indianapolis Colts. The 44-year-old wasn't signed to make heroic plays, but rather to command the line of scrimmage and have control over Shane Steichen's playbook.

Rivers understands his limitations, but it seems that some fans aren't considering just how severe those issues really are. It's fun to watch a grandpa play in the NFL, but we can't ignore that the Colts just had arguably their worst offensive performance of the season against the Seattle Seahawks.

Nobody is expecting greatness, but from what I've read on social media, it seems that some people think Rivers can save the Colts' playoff chances. Unfortunately, the offense is far too limited for that to happen.

Stats Put Rivers' Play Into Perspective

Rivers was 2 for 8 on passes over 10 air yards against the Seahawks, throwing for 33 yards and an interception. Granted, that interception was a last-ditch effort to push the ball downfield, but the pass never even had a chance of being caught.

On passes of 10 air yards or less, Rivers completed 16 of his 18 attempts for 87 yards and a touchdown. The completion percentage is great, but realistically, that's not going to win football games against modern defenses.

The Colts face the San Francisco 49ers, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Houston Texans to close out the regular season. To have a chance at the postseason, they'll likely have to win at least two of those three games.

All three of those defenses rank in the top 11 when it comes to points allowed per game, with Houston ranking number one. That game against the Texans will be the most important, as they currently control the 7th seed in the AFC.

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Colts' Playbook is Gone

Rivers knows Steichen's playbook, but he's not able to execute every part of it. As most people have pointed out, from the neck up, Rivers is a top 5 quarterback. The issue is, the Colts can't transplant Rivers' brain into Riley Leonard's body.

Anything past the sticks on first down is basically out of play. Anything 20-plus yards downfield is unfathomable. This effectively removes Alec Pierce, the league leader in yards per reception, from the Colts' game plan.

When defenses aren't forced to respect the deep ball, they can stack the box and force underneath throws for the entire game. Steichen understands this, but he assumes he can squeeze enough points out of it to have a chance at winning.

Against Seattle, the Colts had a 58-yard touchdown drive and sent Blake Grupe out there for field goal attempts from 42, 54, and 60 yards. The Colts reached the red zone only once, and that's a trend that might end up sticking for every game from here on out.

With 215 total yards, Indy set its lowest mark of the season. Again, that's not surprising to anybody, but there's zero reason to think this will improve against some of the league's best defenses, who know exactly what the Colts plan to do.

Colts' Opponents Have Dominant Run Defenses

Now that Rivers is under center, the Colts are more run-reliant than ever before. Jonathan Taylor and the offensive line have to find ways to control time of possession, something they did well against Seattle.

The issue is, those legs can't handle everything, and with every hit Taylor takes, he gets just a tad weaker. The 49ers (106.1), Jaguars (86.3), and Texans (92.7) are ranked in the top nine when it comes to rushing yards allowed per game.

Jonathan Taylo
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. | Steven-Imagn Images

When you factor in the injuries to starting tackles Braden Smith and Bernhard Raimann, the Colts' playoff chances get even more bleak. Injuries hit the Colts at the absolute worst time, but there's nothing they can do about it except send the next man out there.

The running game has to succeed and move the chains for Indy to have any postseason life. If it stalls due to stacked defensive fronts, there's little hope for Steichen's offense.

Well, What About Anthony Richardson?

Steichen made it clear that the team didn't bring back Rivers just for him to sit on the bench. Steichen already named Rivers the starter for this week, and with every passing day, it looks like he'll be the go-to guy for the rest of the year.

Although Anthony Richardson was medically cleared to return to physical activity, it's unclear if the team has any plans to take him off injured reserve.

Richardson can do what Rivers can't when it comes to opening up the playbook, but the third-year quarterback struggles in areas like changing plays/protection at the line of scrimmage and diagnosing defensive looks.

Steichen has made it clear he has his guy, but Colts fans shouldn't hang on to any playoff hopes at this point.

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Sean Ackerman
SEAN ACKERMAN

Sean Ackerman is the co-Deputy Editor of Indianapolis Colts on SI. Ackerman, a graduate of Western Kentucky University, majored in broadcasting. He's in his third year covering the NFL.

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