What Seahawks' Mike Macdonald said about possibly facing 8x Pro Bowler Philip Rivers

The Seattle Seahawks face a unique task in Week 15 against the Indianapolis Colts.

The Colts are fighting for a playoff spot, but they are also dealing with a number of injuries in the quarterback room. Riley Leonard, Daniel Jones, and Anthony Richardson are not at 100 percent. That's why the Colts went out and signed future Hall of Fame quarterback Philip Rivers, despite him not playing in the league since 2020.

Seahawks head coach Mike McDonald spoke about the possibility of facing Rivers in his first NFL game in five years.

"If anybody can pull it off, it's him," Macdonald said via the team's website. "The guy is probably one of the best competitors in the history of the NFL. I'm sure he wouldn't do it if he didn't feel like he was ready, so we're getting ready for him like he's been playing the whole time."

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Philip Rivers during practice | Mykal McEldowney/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Seahawks could welcome Rivers back to NFL

It's a bit of a challenge going against one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history who has not played in a long time, but the Seahawks are prepared to play their game regardless of who is under center for the Colts.

"It's tricky," Macdonald said via the team's website. "Do you overthink it? You're going to go back and watch some of the stuff he was doing before he retired, you're obviously going to go off of a lot of what they've done this year. At the end of the day, we've got to go play football. We're got to make sure we're on our stuff and we're ahead of plays and we're playing our style of ball."

Rivers' former teammate, Uchenna Nwosu, is familiar with the quarterback's game. Rivers was a teammate of his in the first two years of his career with the Los Angeles Chargers from 2018 to 2019. Uchenna Nwosu spoke about the challenge Philip Rivers presents to the Seahawks defense.

"The intelligence, the arm strength, the savvy," Nwosu said via the team's website. "He's a veteran, he's seen every scheme, every blitz, he's seen everything. Playing against a guy like that, you've got to really be on your keys, communication has got to be through the roof. It's going to be a good challenge for us."

Kickoff between the Colts and Seahawks is scheduled for Sunday at 1:25 p.m. PT.

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Philip Rivers talks with quarterbacks coach Cam Turner | Mykal McEldowney/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Seahawks could welcome Rivers back to NFL

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