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Seattle Seahawks takeaways from a nail-biter win vs. Philip Rivers, Colts

It was ugly, but Jason Myers carried the Seahawks to an 18-16 win vs. the Colts on Sunday.
Connor Benintendi|
Dec 14, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold (14) stands over center against the Indianapolis Colts during the fourth quarter at Lumen Field.
Dec 14, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold (14) stands over center against the Indianapolis Colts during the fourth quarter at Lumen Field. | Steven-Imagn Images

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Seattle Seahawks

The Seattle Seahawks hung on by the skin of their teeth and by Jason Myers’ leg in an 18-16 win over the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday, Dec. 14, at Lumen Field.

Seattle (11-3) needed six field goals from Myers — including a game-winner with 18 seconds remaining — to win its fourth straight game. 

It was ugly, but a few of the team’s wins have been this season. However, the fact that it came against a grandfather version of Philip Rivers isn’t as encouraging.

Here’s what we learned from a nail-biter Week 15 win for the Seahawks over the Colts.

The offense needs to thank Jason Myers

Once one of the most explosive offenses in the league this season, the Seahawks’ offense has serious consistency issues. 

They’ve gone two straight games with six first-half points, are 7 of 21 in the red zone over the last five games and needed Myers to make a franchise record six field goals to beat the Philip Rivers-led Colts.

Myers also broke his own single-season franchise record for field goals made with 37. There are still three games remaining in the season.

Sam Darnold and the offense have been going silent in the first half before picking things up in the second half. Against the Colts, however, that just meant fewer three-and-outs and more Myers leg swings.

That has to change, but the Seahawks should be thankful Myers is as good as ever in 2025.

What’s with the slow first halves?

The Seahawks have been exceptionally bad in the first half of the last few weeks. It’s eerily feeling like Pete Carroll’s shadow remains in the building in that regard.

Seattle had two field goals in the first half in Week 13 against the Vikings before winning 26-0. It had two field goals in the first half in Week 14 against the Falcons before winning 37-9. Now, the Seahawks had two field goals in the first half in Week 15 against the Colts before winning 18-16.

This was the worst of the three. The offense moved the ball in the second half, but it still couldn’t finish drives. They have to feel out defenses much quicker, but they also need to find a way to complete more explosive plays like they were earlier in the season.

In those previous two games, however, it was just the offense that struggled. Against the Colts, the defense looked bad as well. 

It seemed they significantly underestimated the abilities of Rivers and the Indianapolis run game — potentially stemming from overconfidence after the last two dominant wins. The Colts took advantage.

Indianapolis nearly doubled the Seahawks’ total yards before the break. The Seahawks had three rushing yards. Rivers kept the Indianapolis offense moving. They have to get it figured out before hosting the Los Angeles Rams next week.

Don’t underestimate Rivers

He’s 44 years old. He’s a grandfather. But he can still play football at the highest level.

Rivers is now tied as the second-oldest quarterback to start a game in NFL history. He hadn’t played an NFL game in 1,800 days, which was during the 2020-21 season.

Did he look like a premium starter? No. But Shane Steichen’s game plan was sound, and it took the pressure off of Rivers. He just had to get the ball out quickly and not make game-changing mistakes.

The Seahawks barely preserved their NFL-high 23 straight games without allowing a 100-yard rusher. Jonathan Taylor finished with 87 yards on 25 carries, but the rushes were so well-timed that Rivers never had to push the ball downfield.

After Myers’ sixth field goal, Rivers had no choice, and it resulted in a pick. It was a desperate scenario, obviously, but still highlighted Rivers’ weaknesses at his current age.

Rivers finished 18 of 27 for 120 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Whether he pans out for the Colts the rest of the season is up in the air, but he nearly beat one of the best defenses in the league.

The bright side

The defense’s bad day didn’t end up horrible. Seattle held the Colts to three points in the second half and didn’t allow 100 yards rushing. If Taylor had an even slightly better day for Indianapolis, it’s unlikely the Seahawks win.

We’ve seen the best version of this offense and the worst version of it. The offensive line has to keep Darnold’s pocket cleaner if they hope to bounce back to their explosive selves. That’s fixable with their current personnel.

If the Seahawks can get back to firing on all cylinders in the first quarter, they might be the best team in the league. That’s a big if, but it should offer some hope. The defense will hold up.

Up Next

The Seahawks are still matching records with the Los Angeles Rams heading into a critical Week 16 matchup on Thursday, Dec. 18. That game could decide the No. 1 seed in the NFC.

Three games remain in the regular season, and the Seahawks and Rams are the only 11-win teams in the conference. It’s all come down to the late-season showdown that is likely to decide the fate of both teams’ playoff situations.

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Connor Benintendi
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