Indianapolis Colts quarterback Philip Rivers was markedly better in his second game back after a five-year NFL hiatus. The. 44-year-oldmade some big throwsagainst the San Francisco 49ers in Week 16, though was unable to lead the Colts to a victory.
Given his age and time away from the game, Rivers' first game back was viewed as somewhat of a novelty. His second start made it clear, however, that the Colts didn't see it that way. Rivers was truly brought in to help the Colts salvage the season and make the playoffs.
That reality sunk in more afterthe team's 48-27 loss to the 49erson Monday. Rivers had conflicting emotions when asked about his return following the loss. While the veteran is having fun, he knows he wasbrought in to help the Colts win games, and that hasn't happened yet, per ESPN.
"I'm torn on how to express it, because it's been a blast," Rivers said of his return to the NFL after nearly five years away. "It's been a blast to prepare and to go stinking get ready and go out there and warm up and do all that with these guys again. But, again, the name of the game is not go have a good time. It's help find a way to lead your team to a win. And we've come up short."
The Colts are 0-2 in Rivers' starts. Neither loss has been Rivers' fault, but that's hardly a consolation to the quarterback.
Following Monday's loss to the 49ers, the Colts find themselves sitting at 8-7 with just two weeks to go in the regular season. While the team hasn't been eliminated from the postseason just yet, it would need a lot of help to get in. The Colts have just a 3% chance of rallying to make the playoffs, per NFL.com. The team needs to win out, but also needs the Houston Texans to lose their final two games. The Colts have some influence there, as both teams play in Week 18. If the Colts win in Week 17 and the Texans lose in Week 17, that would set up a win-and-in situation for both teams in the final week of the regular season.
Setting up that scenario is going to take some work. The Colts take on the surging Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 17, which won't be an easy matchup. After performing well Monday, Rivers will likely get the start in that contest, though Anthony Richardson should be inching closer to full health following his return from an eye injury.
Despite the losses with Rivers under center, it's tough to criticize the Colts for the way things worked out. The veteran quarterback has played much better than expected after five years out of the NFL. He might be disappointed with the lack of wins so far, but he shouldn't be upset about his performance, especially after being out of the game for so long.
