Philip Rivers returned to the NFL at 44, hoping to help the Indianapolis Colts‘ playoff push, but Sunday’s 18-16 loss to the Seattle Seahawks left the quarterback emotional on December 14.
His comeback, intended to inspire, ended in heartbreak after a game dominated by field goals and late heroics from kicker Jason Myers, upsetting the veteran player who hoped to rescue the team’s season.
Rivers admitted the motivation for his return was never personal glory, as he opened up on the decision to step back from high school to return to the professional game to try to turn fortunes around.
“I think of my sons and those ballplayers, you know,” Rivers said. “That I’m in charge of at the school, that they’ll say like, ‘Crap, coach wasn’t scared,’ you know what I mean?
“But I think maybe, you know, maybe, maybe it will, I don’t know, inspire or teach, you know, not to run or be scared of what may or may not happen.”
The Colts led 13-3 at one point thanks to early field goals from Blake Grupe and an 8-yard touchdown pass from Rivers to Josh Downs.
Yet Seattle chipped away behind Myers, who drilled six field goals, including long kicks of 47, 52, and 56 yards, keeping the game dangerously close for Indianapolis.
After halftime, Rivers‘ offense stalled while the Seahawks leaned on Myers‘ clutch kicking, which included a 56-yard strike that reclaimed the lead and ultimately sealed the 18-16 victory for Seattle.
Despite a steady performance, the loss marked the Colts‘ fourth straight defeat, dropped them to third place at 8-6, and all but ended their playoff hopes in a season that had promised much but delivered disappointment.
Rivers finished completing 18 of 27 passes for 120 yards with one touchdown and one interception.
Who do the Colts play next as they suffer AFC South setback?
Just a handful of weeks ago the Colts looked to be a sure bet for the NFL Playoffs after beating the Atlanta Falcons 31-25 to move to an 8-2 record, with Daniel Jones passing for 225 yards as Jonathan Taylor rushed for 244 yards and three scores.
However, fast forwards to Week 15 and it seems as though the season is done in Indianapolis after the team’s latest loss leaves them 8-6 and third in the AFC South, now behind the 10-4 Jacksonville Jaguars and 9-5 Houston Texans.
In the middle of a four-game losing streak compared to the Jaguars‘ five-game winning run and the Texans‘ six-game winning run, the Colts hold just a 17% probability of making the NFL Playoffs, compared to 96% for Jacksonville and 95% for Houston.
A win will be critical if they hope to still make it as their hopes continue to fade away after Jones‘ injury, but next time out doesn’t get much easier as they take on the 10-4 San Francisco 49ers from the NFC West, who come into the game after scoring 37 points against the Tennessee Titans.
That game will take place on Monday, December 22 from 20:15 ET/17:15 PT at the Lucas Oil Stadium before the Colts round out the regular season with a clash against the Jaguars on December 28 and Texans on January 4.
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