The Philip Rivers era was fun. And no, not his 16-year stretch as a franchise-altering quarterback for the San Diego and Los Angeles Chargers. Not his brief two-year stint with the Indianapolis Colts at the tail end of his career or his four years as the head coach at St. Michael Catholic High School.
Rather, his three-game tenure as the Colts' quarterback in 2025, which seemed like a sentence nobody would ever say about Philip Rivers. But alas, this statement is factual, and will exist as a trivia question or fun fact for eternity. But some good memories were made, and resilience was shown.
Rivers was called into action on short notice, of course, for a Sunday afternoon matchup against a bloodthirsty Seattle Seahawks defense. Indianapolis did not emerge victorious that day, but Rivers did what New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye couldn't do against them in Super Bowl LX.
Philip Rivers did vs. Seahawks what Drake Maye couldn't in Super Bowl LX
Now, it's not like Rivers set the world on fire against Mike Macdonald and Co. He went 18-for-27 passing and threw for just 120 yards, one touchdown, and one interception, while also taking one sack. But he battled the Seahawks down to the wire and put up 16 points.
Maye, by contrast, completed 27 of 43 passes for 295 yards and two touchdowns. But he also threw two interceptions, lost a fumble, and was sacked a whopping six times. Maye led his Patriots offense to just 13 late points against a prevent defense in a blowout loss.
Indianapolis still lost to Seattle, as they did every game during Rivers' cameo appearance under center, and it was consequential to the Colts missing the playoffs. But with the privilege of time, this game and Rivers' performance don't look as bad as they did initially.
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Fox Sports' Nick Wright even agreed with this sentiment, as he posted the following on social media just after the Super Bowl ended:
"Sadly, Drake could not play as well as Philip Rivers."Nick Wright on facing Seahawks defense
It is a bit ironic that Wright's statement is seemingly true. And while the Colts and their fanbase would much rather be where the Patriots were than sitting on the couch watching at home, Indy should feel confident about the team that they have.
Even with the practical ghost of Philip Rivers at quarterback, this Colts team competed with the best team in the NFL. If everyone can just get healthy in Indianapolis, this team should be right back in the thick of things.