The Indianapolis Colts cannot catch a break with injuries. The team suffered another loss in the first half of Week 16 against the San Francisco 49ers. Center Tanor Bortolini suffered a concussion and was ruled out. By the second quarter, only left guard Quenton Nelson was playing in the position he was assigned at the beginning of the season.
No matter. Philip Rivers, the quarterback Indy placed a call to after Week 14 when starter Daniel Jones was injured, played as if he were 25 years old again. Sure, the defense could do little to stop the 49ers, but Rivers was shockingly able to keep the team in the game. Barely.
Let's be honest, though, no one expected Philip Rivers to be that good after not playing for five years. He had diminishing arm strength even before he retired the first time after the 2020 season, and it is even worse now. But when you have a quarterback as smart as Rivers, he can overcome physical limitations.
Philip Rivers brings light to an ever darker Indianapolis Colts season
In the first half alone, the quarterback threw for more yards than he did in his first game back, an 18-16 loss to the Seattle Seahawks. He wasn't putting much pressure on the 49ers deep, but he kept checking off, aligning his team correctly, and taking what the defense was giving him. He was brilliant.
His quarterback rating was 124.1, and he completed 14 of 21 passes for 175 yards and two touchdowns. Both on extremely well-timed tosses to wide receiver Alec Pierce. Rivers was playing like a QB who hadn't missed any time, and was heading toward a Pro Bowl.
Rivers also wasn't helped by Indianapolis, behind its banged-up offensive line, not being able to run the ball efficiently. After a first half of the season where running back Jonathan Taylor was seemingly going to lead the NFL in rushing by a wide margin, he hasn't been getting much going lately.
In the second half, the 49ers kept scoring, which forced Rivers to keep throwing. He was almost perfect until a late interception that was returned for a touchdown. That made the score 48-27, but the pick was really on tight end Tyler Warren, whose route was too obvious. Rivers will probably take the blame for the interception, but it was Warren's fault.
Rivers finished 23 of 35 for 277 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception. His quarterback rating was 97.0. He was good enough for the Indianapolis Colts to win, but Indy's defense wasn't.
Blame the line and all its injuries on the diminished rushing attack, but the quarterback would make no excuses for that either. In a season that could see the Indianapolis Colts start 7-1 and finish 8-9, Philip Rivers has been a wonderful surprise story. It might no longer be a memorable season for the team, but the story of Rivers will be spoken about for years.