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Colts Turn to 44-Year-Old Philip Rivers for Monday Night Football Showdown
Indianapolis, IN – The Indianapolis Colts are making headlines with their unconventional quarterback situation as they prepare to face the San Francisco 49ers on Monday Night Football. With a healthy young prospect in Riley Leonard, a recovering Anthony Richardson, and a surprising veteran comeback, it’s 44-year-old grandfather Philip Rivers who will be under center for Week 16.
Rivers, who last started a game in the 2020 postseason, is set to lead the Colts against a formidable 49ers squad. While Anthony Richardson has been cleared for football activities, head coach Shane Steichen remained non-committal about opening Richardson’s 21-day practice window this week. When pressed on the decision to start Rivers over potentially giving rookie Leonard a shot, Steichen was direct.
“Obviously, we wanted to see how Philip did on Sunday, and I thought he did some really good things,” Steichen stated, referring to Rivers’ recent performance. “To bring in a guy of his age and where he’s at in his career – we didn’t bring him in here to sit on the bench.
I’ll say that. So, he’s excited for this challenge.
We obviously got to take it one week at a time, and then we go from there.”
Rivers’ return to the field on Sunday against the Seahawks saw him complete 18 of 27 passes for 120 yards, with a touchdown and an interception. Despite being limited at times, his extensive knowledge of the offensive scheme and defensive strategies allowed him to effectively manage the game. Steichen praised Rivers’ execution of the game plan, which focused on a strong running game and short, easy completions.
“Yeah, I think obviously, we talked about a little bit earlier, but going into that game plan – that was the game plan,” Steichen explained. “We wanted to run the ball, control the clock, take easy completions.
I thought we did a pretty good job of that. And our defense was phenomenal.
They played awesome. Obviously, they didn’t score a touchdown.
And to kick that field goal there at the end to have a chance to win it – I thought it was like a hard-fought game. I thought our guys played their tail off, and just at the end, it wasn’t enough.
We’ve got to find a way to do that.”
Steichen continued, “I thought Philip did a hell of a job of managing that game plan. That was the plan going into it.
I thought he did a hell of a job. Obviously, on the road in a hostile environment, first one back in a long time.
He did what was necessary to put us in position to win that game.”
Despite the physical demands, Rivers reportedly felt good on Monday morning. “He’s in the quarterback room right now watching tape,” Steichen confirmed.
“He’s like, ‘I’ve got my normal bruises that I had when I played.’ But he said, ‘I feel pretty darn good.’
So, that was good for him to come out of the game clean. And then obviously he’s excited for the challenge coming up this week.”
Steichen acknowledged the unique narrative surrounding Rivers’ return but emphasized the veteran’s team-first mentality. “Obviously, it is a story, and he knows that.
But I mean, it’s about the team, and he’s here to help us win football games. Otherwise he wouldn’t be here, and he’s going to fight like crazy, just like he always has his whole career to help win one week at a time – as to his mindset, and that’s what he’s looking forward to, of the challenge each and every week of preparing to get ready to go out and compete and try to win a football game.”