Philip Rivers was visibly dejected in his postgame presser after the Colts were eliminated from the playoffs.
The Indianapolis Colts proved in their first-round showdown against the Buffalo Bills that they are knocking on the door in terms of competing for a championship. However, their self-inflicted wounds and inability to finish off commanding drives with points on the scoreboard really reminded fans of the gap they need to close to be mentioned in that conversation.
A three-point loss to the hottest team in the league is obviously nothing to scoff at, but everybody watching knew that Indy could’ve taken the game by the scruff of the neck if they were more clinical once they crossed midfield and entered the red zone.
In many ways, the loss served as a microcosm of the Colts’ season: a lot of positive takeaways, but nowhere near good enough when it mattered most. But it’s safe to say the players really enjoyed their time on the 2020 roster.
After the game, Philip Rivers touched on what it meant to be a part of this team and his emotional response really summed up it all up.
A special team to be a part of. #ForTheShoe pic.twitter.com/RJwUpVEcoe
— Indianapolis Colts (@Colts) January 9, 2021
We truly couldn’t have said it better ourselves. The Colts are probably a move or two away from becoming a true championship threat, but judging by Rivers’ emotion, he knows this roster is far too talented to be one and done in the playoffs … regardless of the fact that it’s mostly comprised of players who have yet to hit their respective primes.
In retrospect, Rivers’ performance deserved to be on the winning side, as he finished 27-of-46 for 309 yards with two touchdowns and zero turnovers, equating to a 92.3 passer rating. At the end of the day, however, all of the key moments seemingly went in Buffalo’s direction and the offense’s inability to come away with points — they scored just 16 despite crossing midfield on all seven of their drives midway through the fourth quarter — proved to be the difference.
Philip Rivers is one of the greatest gamers of his era.
— Rich Eisen (@richeisen) January 9, 2021
It remains to be seen if Rivers will opt for retirement in the offseason, but if he decides to return for his 18th NFL season, we hold no doubts that head coach Frank Reich and the front office will welcome him back to Indy with open arms. To put it simply, he was everything and more they could have asked for under center this year after he signed a one-year, $25 million contract.
Colts: 3 players who won’t be on Indy’s roster in 2021
The Indianapolis Colts are losing several free agents following their attempted 2020 playoff run -- these three will not be back.