The Indianapolis Colts are in the midst of what could become one of the most historic mid-season collapses that the NFL has ever seen. Their remaining games are all against top-notch NFL teams, and the entire roster is riddled with injuries.
The man that the team is now turning towards to turn their season around is none other than 44-year-old Philip Rivers, who hasn't seen any NFL action since retiring back when the world was still in the throes of COVID and meetings had to be done through Zoom.
It's no secret that this Colts team is struggling. In fact, it would be by far one of the biggest upsets of the year if the team were to beat the Seattle Seahawks while potentially being led by a grandfather who has been retired from the league for almost five years. Still, miracles can happen, and this is one of the most bizarre Colts seasons in recent memory.
Bold predictions for the Colts vs. Seahawks Week 15 game
Prediction No. 1: Philip Rivers starts at quarterback, and throws his first touchdown pass since retirement.
It might be a tall order to beat this fearsome version of the Seattle Seahawks, but to be able to score some points against them isn't completely out of the question. Rivers, if he were able to complete a touchdown pass, would become the oldest quarterback to accomplish that feat since Tom Brady did it at age 45 just a few years ago.
The Colts may have a huge question mark at quarterback and some injuries across the offensive line, but their skill positions are still among the very best in the entire league. Seattle has a good defense, but it's not out of the question that the elite weapons surrounding Rivers (if he does start) could elevate his aging body to throw a touchdown pass.
Prediction No. 2: Jaxson Smith-Njigba gets back on track for a 2,000 yard season
Smith-Njigba has arguably been the most electrifying player in the league this year, and certainly the most productive wide receiver. As of late, he's fallen off the 2,000-yard pace that he'd been on to start the year, and as it currently stands, he has 1,428 yards.
Including this one, there are four games left in the season. To reach 2,000 yards, Smith-Njigba needs to rack up 572 cumulative yards throughout those four games.
If he were to go nuclear against an Indianapolis secondary that's missing both Sauce Gardner and Charvarius Ward and be able to get another game around his best of the season (167 yards against the Titans), then the number he'd need through the next three games to reach 2,000 would be 405 yards, an average of 135 yards a game.
No doubt, it would still be a tall order to reach that mark, but with how outstanding Jaxson Smith-Njigba has been the entire year, a big game against the Colts would definitely go a long way in making a 2,000-yard campaign more reasonable.
Prediction No. 3: The Colts suffer their fifth loss in just six weeks
As fans, the Indianapolis faithful can hope against hope that a 44-year-old Philip Rivers will be the magical cure that will save their once-promising season. As much as it would be amazing if that were true (and still, it's not impossible), the likelihood that something like that actually happens is very, very low.
It seems even more unlikely when the opponent that the team is facing in Week 15 is taken into consideration. The Seattle Seahawks stand at 10-3 and have been one of the best teams in the league all year.
Their only losses have come against the 49ers, Buccaneers, and Rams. The 49ers and Rams are also among the best teams in football, and the Buccaneers earlier in the season seemed to be one of the better NFL teams before falling apart more recently.
It would be a big ask for a team that's injury riddled, in a losing streak, and led by a recently retired grandpa to beat even an average NFL team. In Week 15, the Colts will be going up against one of the very best, and it will likely show on the final score sheet.
Prediction No. 4: Alec Pierce will prove that he is quarterback proof
It may not be apparent to most members of the national media, but Alec Pierce has easily been one of the best receivers in football this year, especially as a deep threat. He's made it a real question as to who is actually the best receiver on the Colts between him and Michael Pittman, and he's definitely been the more consistently productive of the pair.
He proved in Week 14 against the Jaguars that he could still produce even without a starting quarterback who is as good as Daniel Jones has been, with Pierce still leading the team in yards. This week, faced with the possibility of being thrown the football by a quarterback who hasn't touched an NFL field since 2020, Alec Pierce will again continue to produce against all odds.
It helps that Pierce has one of the biggest catch radii in the NFL, as Rivers will only have to get the ball in his general vicinity for him to get a real shot at catching the ball. It's possible that the Colts may not come out of Seattle with a win, but something that can always be counted on is Alec Pierce producing, regardless of who is throwing him the ball.