Rivers’ arm wasn’t what it used to be and his passes lacked zip. However, he showed that he hasn’t lost his mental acumen, constantly knowing where his outlets were and using touch to hit targets with strides. He also proved that he can still take a hit and bounce back, even at 44 years old.
Rivers completed 18 of 27 passes for 140 yards with a touchdown and an interception, which came on the Colts’ final drive.
“Highly motivated, no question about it,” Colts head coach Shane Steichen said. “For him to go out there and do what he did after five years off, to have a chance to win it, get a game-winning field goal – close to it – with 40 seconds left in a hostile environment against a top defense. Just shows his commitment to come back and play like he did and fight like crazy for his teammates. I thought it was great.”
Rivers provided the spark for Sunday’s battle, throwing the only touchdown of the game, a short cross to an open Josh Downs. With the play, Rivers became the fifth player in NFL history with a pass TD at age 44 or older, joining Tom Brady, George Blanda, Vinny Testaverde and Steve DeBerg.
Rivers’ play, for a team that is in dire straits at the quarterback position, was positive, but the offense lived in the box against Seattle, rarely able to stretch the field. The senior went 2-of-8 for 33 yards passing and an INT on throws of 10-plus yards and 16-of-18 for 87 yards and a TD on throws under 10 yards, according to Next Gen Stats.
The hope is that in the last three weeks, as he shakes off the rust, his flexibility on the field will return.
“If I can stay healthy, I feel good and it will get better as we go,” he said. “But the catch is we’ve got to win. It doesn’t really matter if it’s getting better as we go if we don’t win because it’s over in three weeks. So that’s the catch there. But it’s going to keep getting better. I mean, it’s obviously the first one. [and] we are talking about three days of training.”
Expectations weren’t high for the 44-year-old to leave his post as a high school football coach to join a team in the middle of the season and play after just three practices against one of the league’s best defenses on the road. An upset would have been history.
This is a zero-sum league, so a close loss gives Rivers and the Colts no bonus points. But to do what Rivers did, under those conditions against that opponent, in that environment, is inspiring.
“Obviously it doesn’t happen every day. But I think maybe it will encourage or teach not to be rushed or to be afraid of what may or may not happen,” Rivers said. “Hopefully, I think about my sons and these football players that I’m in charge of at school, that they say, ‘Nonsense, the coach wasn’t scared.’
“Like, shoot, sometimes there’s doubt, and that’s real, and again, a guaranteed safe bet is go home or not go for it, and the other is shoot, we’ll see what happens. And so yeah, I hope in the sense that it can be positive for some young guys or young people, doesn’t have to be guys. But again, that’s what I’m happy with, but I’m not happy with it.”
The Colts have lost four straight and five of their last six after getting off to a 7-1 start in a tight AFC playoff contest. They close out the season against San Francisco, Jacksonville and Houston.