The Indianapolis Colts are handling their quarterback situation ahead of Week 15 in the most coy of ways. The team signed long-retired Philip Rivers after Daniel Jones was injured in Week 14. Rivers, of course, was a fantastic QB during his time, but he must be rusty now.
The other option would be rookie Riley Leonard, who very few thought might be ready to get real snaps this season. He was QB3 to begin with, but after Anthony Richardson broke his orbital bone during Week 6 warmups and Jones tore his Achilles tendon in Week 14, Leonard was suddenly thrust into potentially being QB1.
The Colts weren't so sure. Faced with starting Leonard against a very good Seattle Seahawks defense, Indy took about a day to think about it before having Rivers try out. The veteran did well enough to make general manager Chris Ballard believe the 44-year-old would be a wise choice to sign.
Indianapolis Colts haven't made the decision to start Philip Rivers or Riley Leonard
Two days before facing Seattle, though, Rivers, who has been running first in quarterback reps after signing, hasn't done enough to impress head coach Shane Steichen for the coach to say the veteran will start against the Seahawks. Instead, Steichen said the team was still "working through" who would start.
To be sure, the head coach isn't trying to keep Seattle from settling on a defensive game plan before the game. NFL teams rarely scheme solely for a player. Instead, good coaches take their system and match it against the opponent's system. The wrinkles would come in when a team has to face unique talent such as Lamar Jackson, but it's still scheme versus scheme.
What Philip Rivers does differently from Riley Leonard (or even Daniel Jones) is not going to be so different that Seattle head coach Mike Macdonald will be slightly unprepared. How well the Colts' offense works will be based on which quarterback can execute Steichen's scheme the best.
Maybe Indianapolis simply wants Rivers to get one more week of work in physically after not playing for five years. Perhaps, he will play against the Seahawks (the guess is that he will start), but he should absolutely be ready to go in Week 16 against the San Francisco 49ers.
That game is on Monday Night Football, so Philip Rivers will have one more day of prep before playing. The truth is that no matter which quarterback played for the Indianapolis Colts in Week 15, the struggle against a great Seattle Seahawks defense was going to be difficult.