The Indianapolis Colts had a weird season, even beyond that which involved quarterback Philip Rivers. The team began 7-1, and didn't make the playoffs. Oddly, Indy didn't win in the United States after Week 8. That was on October 26.
The team did win in Week 10, but that was against the Atlanta Falcons in Berlin, Germany. It was the only victory the team had after Week 8. That 7-1 start led to an 8-9 finish. It was a brutal end that was brought about by key players being injured, turnover issues, and inefficiency on both sides of the ball.
But nothing was more strange than the team asking Rivers to un-retire after five years enjoying his life after the NFL. The quarterback was asked to return after quarterback Daniel Jones tore an Achilles tendon in Week 14. To be fair, even Jones' early-season success was unexpected and odd.
Indianapolis Colts bringing Philip Rivers back deemed the "craziest" part of the NFL season
Rivers didn't lead the team to a win in any of the three games he played in, but the losses weren't truly his fault. Indianapolis was simply playing teams that were better than it was at that point in the season. Rivers didn't play poorly; he was just clearly physically limited because of age and rust.
According to CBS Sports' Douglas Clawson, the once-retired quarterback playing for the Colts was the "craziest" thing that happened in the 2025 NFL season. Clawsom also states that nothing else comes close to Rivers' return.
The CBS Sports writer has a list of his 60 favorite statistics of the year, and he kind of goes out of his way to add Philip Rivers, but his logic is sound. The "1,800" days between games for the quarterback might not be believed by future generations, who might not understand the reason why head coach Shane Steichen and general manager Chris Ballard gave Rivers the call to come back.
To be fair, even some current fans might not understand that reason, especially after watching preseason QB3 Riley Leonard finally get a chance to start in Week 18 against a very good Houston Texans defense and watch Leonard do really well. Maybe the rookie should have been starting instead of Rivers.
Unfortunately, the Indianapolis Colts also make Clawson's list at No. 48. He points out that Indy became the first team in 30 years to miss the playoffs after beginning the season 8-2.
On a positive note, wide receiver Alec Pierce became the first receiver since Flipper Anderson from 1989-90 to average 20-plus yards a catch in back-to-back seasons. Anderson actually played later in his career with the Colts. He appeared in two games in 1995 and had eight catches for 111 yards and two touchdowns.