The Indianapolis Colts once looked like the Cinderellas of the NFL this year. Not expected to accomplish much of anything, the Colts soon were 7-1 and on top of the AFC standings. Since that glorious start, however, it's all come crashing down.
The Colts are now 8-5 and if the season ended today, they would not be in the playoffs. They went from the potential number one seed in the playoffs to now not even being in the dance. To make matters worse, they just lost Daniel Jones for the season and brought in 44-year-old Philip Rivers to help out their depleted quarterback room.
As funny as this story might be to some people, Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated said that, if anything, at least it shows that GM Chris Ballard and head coach Shane Steichen are trying to keep this team competitive.
"If nothing else, this at least shows the Colts locker room that Steichen and Ballard are doing everything they possibly can to create some modicum of hope," Breer said on The Dan Patrick Show. "Whether or not it can actually work... I don't know that anybody has the answer to that question 'cause this feels pretty unprecedented."
"If nothing else, this at least shows the Colts locker room that Steichen and Ballard are doing everything they possibly can to create some modicum of hope."
— Dan Patrick Show (@dpshow) December 9, 2025
– @AlbertBreer on the #Colts working out Philip Rivers. pic.twitter.com/v3qzLXB6TN
Albert Breer says at least Colts are trying to remain competitive
It'd be easy for the Colts to simply try and let Riley Leonard and Brett Rypien play the final (likely) four games of the season and let whatever happens happen. After all, the starting quarterback got hurt so that shouldn't be Ballard or Steichen's fault, right?
Well, the problem with that is that Ballard has now been the Colts GM since 2017 and the team has made the playoffs just two times with him in charge. The last time they did so was in 2020, which funny enough is when Rivers was the Colts quarterback. That's why Ballard was trying to throw anything to the wall and seeing if it can stick. He knows his job is on the line and he's not going to go down without swinging here.
If Rivers, who has been out of the league since 2020 and retired as a member of the Chargers this past summer, can come in and lead the Colts to the playoffs against all odds, Ballard will certainly get his fair share of the credit here. It'd keep him his job for at least a little while longer too. We'll have to wait and see how this pans out.