There is no doubt that one of the most painful moments of NFL Week 14 was the horrific injury suffered by Daniel Jones during the Indianapolis Colts’ game against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Early in the first quarter, on a non-contact play, the quarterback tore his Achilles tendon, ending what had been a remarkable season for him.
In fact, Daniel Jones had been dealing with adversity for a couple of weeks and playing through significant pain. After the Week 12 game against the Kansas City Chiefs, it was announced that the Colts quarterback had suffered a fracture in the fibula of his left leg. Even so, he showed great toughness and continued leading the team until his body simply couldn’t take it anymore. The game against the Jaguars ultimately marked the end of his season.
Besides the injury, with the wins by both the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Houston Texans, the Colts have fallen out of the playoff picture. Despite starting the season with a 7-1 record, it is now very likely that Indianapolis will miss the postseason-especially due to uncertainty at the quarterback position and a difficult remaining schedule that begins with the Seattle Seahawks next Sunday.
Philip Rivers will wear number 17
The Colts’ season has practically gone down the drain after Daniel Jones’ injury. Backup Anthony Richardson remains on the injured list, and third-string quarterback Riley Leonard is also dealing with physical issues. For this reason, the Colts signed Philip Rivers to the practice squad. Rivers is 44 years old, and his last NFL season was in 2020.
Philip Rivers will wear number 17, the same number he used throughout his NFL career. That number previously belonged to Daniel Jones, but since Jones is on injured reserve, there is no issue with Rivers using it. According to a league spokesperson: “The league approved it as it does not present a competitive issue as one player will be wearing that number.”
In a press conference, Rivers told reporters that Daniel Jones had no problem with it: “Heck yea, go for it,” Jones said. It’s worth noting that during his time with the Giants, Jones wore number 8, but he switched to 17 with the Colts as a nod to his career at Duke University, where he also used that number.
We’ll have to wait and see how things unfold. For now, Philip Rivers has signed with the practice squad, but if rookie Riley Leonard isn’t ready for Sunday’s game against the Seattle Seahawks, there is a strong possibility that the 44-year-old Rivers will be the starting quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts.
Read the full article here
