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How Philip Rivers Fared for Colts in First Start Since 2021

Philip Rivers fell just short of leading the Colts to a win in his first game back in five seasons.

Eva Geitheim

Philip Rivers made his first start since 2021 on Sunday.
Philip Rivers made his first start since 2021 on Sunday. / Steven-Imagn Images
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For the first time in nearly five years, Philip Rivers started an NFL game as he took on the Seahawks on Sunday afternoon. Following injuries to Colts starting quarterback Daniel Jones and backup Riley Leonard, Indianapolis shockingly decided to sign Rivers. Days later, the 44-year-old took the field for his first game since Jan. 2021, an 18-16 loss to the Seahawks.

Heading into his first start in nearly five years, Rivers told reporters during the week, “Shoot, we gotta stinking run the crap out of the ball and play defense and do all those things.”

The Colts did exactly that, running the ball on early downs while leaning on star back Jonathan Taylor. When Rivers did throw the ball, he was often attempting screens or short passes to simply get the ball in the hands of his playmakers, averaging just 4.4 yards per attempt during the game.

Not only was this a smart strategy given the reality of a quarterback on the wrong side of 40 starting for the first time in nearly half a decade and Rivers’s lack of mobility, but it proved relatively effective. Despite relying heavily on the run and short passing game, the Colts were able to move the ball decently well throughout the game, including a first-half drive capped off by Rivers throwing an eight-yard touchdown pass to Josh Downs.

The defense also stepped up to support Rivers against a Seahawks offensive that has been quietly sluggish in the first half in recent weeks. The Colts’ bend-don’t-break defense kept the Seahawks out of the end zone, pressured Sam Darnold and held Seattle 2-of-13 on third down. They were unable to stop the game-winning field goal drive, with Jason Myers hitting his sixth field goal of the game with less than a minute to play, but given the Colts defense was without Charvarius Ward, Sauce Gardner and DeForest Bucker, it was a strong effort and kept the Colts in the game.

Ultimately, Rivers and the Colts offense fell short of doing enough to get the win. It’s clear that the Colts were aware of Rivers’s limitations, which led to conservative play-calling throughout the game. This was especially apparent on the Colts’ go-ahead field goal drive. Facing third-and-7 in Seattle territory, they ran the ball instead of throwing it putting them in position to make a 60-yard field goal.

Though the field goal was good, their inability to get a first down allowed the Seahawks enough time to go down and hit a game-winning field goal of their own. The Colts got the ball back with under 20 seconds left, and Rivers threw a game-clinching interception to seal the Colts’ fourth consecutive loss.

Rivers finished the game 18-of-27 for 120 yards, one touchdown and one interception. It was a solid performance given the circumstances, but not enough this time to take down a likely playoff-bound Seahawks squad.

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Eva Geitheim
EVA GEITHEIM

Eva Geitheim is a contributor to the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Prior to joining SI in December 2024, she wrote for Newsweek, Gymnastics Now and Dodgers Nation. A Bay Area native, she has a bachelor's in communications from UCLA. When not writing, she can be found baking or re-watching Gilmore Girls.

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