A 44-year-old Philip Rivers nearly did the unthinkable.
1,800 days since his last NFL game, with just three days of practice under his belt, Rivers almost pulled off a massive road upset, helping the Indianapolis Colts take a late lead, on the road, against the double-digit-win Seattle Seahawks.
Rivers marched the Colts for a go-ahead Blake Grupe 60-yard field goal with 47 seconds remaining to take the lead, but the Indy defense couldn't hold it, allowing Seattle to answer for an 18-16 Seahawks win on Sunday.
Given the circumstances, it would have been a stunning win for Indy with Rivers coming out of a five-year retirement and immediately jumping into the fray.
"I'm grateful that I was out there, and it was a blast," Rivers said . "But, obviously, the emotions now are disappointment. This isn't about me. We got a team that's scrapping like crazy to try to stay alive and get in the postseason. So obviously, we're all disappointed. Came up just short, game kind of played out just how we thought it was going to play out in terms of how we were going to win the game, kind of one of those grind-it-out kind of games. And we didn't find a way to get it done, is the bottom line."
Rivers' arm wasn't what it used to be, and passes lacked zip. However, he showed he hasn't lost the mental acumen, consistently knowing where his outlets were and using touch to hit targets in stride. He also proved he could still take a hit and bounce back, even at 44.
Rivers went 18 of 27 passing for 140 yards with a touchdown and an interception, which came on the final Colts' play.
"Very encouraged, there's 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 coming back and playing the way he did and fighting like crazy for his teammates. I thought that was pretty awesome."
Rivers provided the spark for Sunday's battle, throwing the only touchdown of the game, a short crosser 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 in dire straits at the quarterback position, was positive, but the offense lived in a box against Seattle, rarely able to stretch the field. The veteran went 2-of-8 for 33 yards passing and an INT on throws of 10-plus air yards and 16-of-18 for 87 yards and a TD on tosses under 10 air yards, per Next Gen Stats.
The hope is that in the final three weeks, as he brushes the years of rust, the field-stretching ability will return.
"If I can stay healthy, I feel good, and it is going to get better as we go," he said. "But the catch is that 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 going to be over in three weeks. So that's the catch there. But it's going to continue to get better. I mean, this is obviously the first one [and] we're talking about three days of practice."
The expectations weren't high for a 44-year-old leaving his post as a high school football coach to join a team mid-season and play after just three practices against one of the best defenses in the league on the road. An upset would have been history-making.
It's a zero-sum league, so a close loss doesn't afford Rivers and the Colts any bonus points. But to do what Rivers did, in that circumstance against that opponent, in that environment, is inspiring.
"Obviously, this doesn't come up every day. But I think maybe it will inspire or teach not to be run or be scared of what may or may not happen," Rivers said. "Hopefully, certainly I think of my sons and those ballplayers that I'm in charge of at the school, that they'll say 'crap, coach wasn't scared.'
"Like, shoot, sometimes there is doubt, and it's real, and again, the guaranteed safe bet is to go home or to not go for it, and the other one is shoot, we'll see what happens. And so yeah, I hope in that sense it can be a positive to some young boys or young people, doesn't have to be boys. But again, that's not the motivation. But whatever God's will, I'm happy with."
The Colts have lost four straight and five of their past six games after starting 7-1 in a tight AFC playoff race. They close the season against San Francisco, Jacksonville, and Houston.
