Philip Rivers has found a new favorite receiver.
Twice tonight already the Colts quarterback has hit Alec Pierce for a touchdown. The first one, which gave the Colts a 7-0 lead, went for 20 yards. The second, which tied the game 14-14, covered 16 yards.
Rivers had 120 yards and a touchdown last week in his first game in five seasons.
He is 10-of-15 for 137 yards and two touchdowns only 45 seconds into the second quarter.
Pierce has three receptions for 53 yards.
49ers quarterback Brock Purdy also has two touchdown passes, hitting Demarcus Robinson for 22 yards and Christian McCaffrey for 2 yards. Both teams have scored two touchdowns on two possessions.
The 49ers fell behind the Colts 7-0. They now lead 14-7.
San Francisco took six plays, 69 yards and 3 minutes, 17 seconds to tie it 7-7. Demarcus Robinson scored his first touchdown as a 49er, catching a 22-yard touchdown pass from Brock Purdy.
Purdy was 3-for-3 for 54 yards on the first drive, with George Kittle catching a 26-yard pass to help advance things.
Colts returner Ameer Abdullah fumbled the ensuing kickoff, with Ji’Ayir Brown forcing it and Jake Tonges recovering it.
The 49ers needed only five plays to go 26 yards, with Purdy throwing a 2-yard touchdown pass to Christian McCaffrey. Purdy was 2-for-2 for 14 yards on the drive.
The Colts have ruled out center Tanor Bortolini, who was diagnosed with a concussion. Bortolini went out on the second play, and
Danny Pinter has replaced him.
Philip Rivers can still play.
The Colts quarterback, who unretired last week, threw a touchdown pass on the team’s first possession Monday night.
Rivers went 5-of-7 for 73 yards, leading the Colts on a nine-play, 72-yard scoring drive.
He threw a 20-yard touchdown pass to Alec Pierce for a 7-0 lead over the 49ers.
Rivers threw for 120 yards with a touchdown and an interception in last week’s loss to the Seahawks, which was his first game since Jan. 3, 2021.
The Colts lost center Tanor Bortolini on the second play of the game. Bortolini went to the locker room for a concussion check. Danny Pinter replaced him.
The 49ers had already ruled out wide receiver Ricky Pearsall, who missed practice all week with knee and ankle injuries.
“He was close,” coach Kyle Shanahan said after the team’s final practice of the week. “But not close enough.”
Cornerback Renardo Green (neck) was also ruled out Saturday.
The team did activate defensive lineman Yetur Gross-Matos (hamstring) from injured reserve, and he will play. The 49ers also activated cornerback Eli Apple and linebacker Eric Kendricks from the practice squad to play tonight.
The 49ers’ other inactives are defensive lineman Kevin Givens, running back Isaac Guerendo, cornerback Chase Lucas, defensive lineman Robert Beal Jr. and linebacker Curtis Robinson.
The Colts’ inactives are linebacker Jaylon Carlies, cornerback Sauce Gardner (calf), running back DJ Giddens, wide receiver Anthony Gould (foot), safety Reuben Lowery III, tight end Will Mallory and offensive tackle Bernhard Raimann (elbow).
Defensive tackle DeForest Buckner was activated from injured reserve and will play.
San Francisco will have a trio of defensive players available for Monday night’s game against Indianapolis.
The 49ers announced they’ve activated defensive end Yetur Gross-Matos off of injured reserve. The club has also elevated veteran linebacker Eric Kendricks and veteran cornerback Eli Apple for the Week 16 contest.
Gross-Matos has been sidelined by a hamstring injury since early October. In his second season with San Francisco, Gross-Matos has registered four total tackles with one pass defensed in five games so far this season.
Kendricks is set to make his 49ers debut after joining the club’s practice squad late last month. He started 15 games for Dallas last season, registering 138 total tackles with 3.0 sacks and two interceptions.
Apple appeared in one game for the 49ers earlier this season, playing three special teams snaps.
