Philip

Rivers

Colts head coach Shane Steichen has said Rivers would draw his third straight start in Week 17, as the team still has an outside shot to sneak into the postseason if they win their final two games following a Week 16 blowout loss against the 49ers. Rivers displayed better arm strength and a willingness to throw it downfield on Monday night against the Niners, throwing for 277 yards and two touchdowns. If he remains aggressive this week, Michael Pittman, Josh Downs, Tyler Warren, and Alec Pierce could be viable in fantasy leagues.

Rivers and the Colts traded blows with the 49ers throughout the first half, with the aging veteran connecting with Alec Pierce for two scores before the break. The Colts would struggle to keep the momentum rolling into the second half while managing just 10 points after the break, but many will likely be left with the memory of the surgical precision the 44-year-old showed to open the game rather than the couple of under-thrown balls late. The Colts were eliminated from the postseason with the loss, potentially signaling a change back to rookie Riley Leonard under center for the team’s final two games of the regular season. Either way, Rivers’ return to the league after five years will go down as one of the crazier storylines of the 2025 season and should only pad his chances of heading to the Hall of Fame.

Was there ever any doubt? After nearly five years away from the game, Rivers was thrown into the fire in Week 15 against a top-ranked Seahawks defense and nearly came away with the victory. Rivers knows Steichen’s offense after years of playing in his system and is widely viewed by Steichen and the staff as the best man for the job. He’ll have a slightly easier matchup on tap against the Niners in Week 16.

Rivers acquitted himself quite well in his first NFL action since the end of the 2020 season. Starting in place of Daniel Jones — out of the year with an Achilles injury — Rivers was severely limited by the mobility and diminished arm strength of a 44-year-old making a start five days after signing to a team’s practice squad. Rivers averaged 4.4 yards per attempt and rarely threw the ball beyond five or six yards. One third of Rivers’ passes targeted running backs, with another six going to TE Tyler Warren, a safety valve for the aged Rivers. The Colts had 27 passes to 29 rushing attempts on the day. Rivers showed he can operate Shane Steichen’s offense well enough to keep the Colts afloat, though it will be tough for Indy pass catchers beyond Warren to maintain their fantasy value. The Colts get the 49ers in Week 16.

Rivers will be under center for the first time since 2020 as the Colts desperately try to stay in the postseason race with Daniel Jones (Achilles) done for the season. He’ll go up against an elite Seattle front seven that will pressure him all day. The Colts declared LB Jaylon Carlies, CB Sauce Gardner, RB DJ Giddens, WR Anthony Gould, S Reuben Lowery, TE Will Mallory, and QB Brett Rypien inactive against the Seahawks.

Schefter reports that the Colts are signing Rivers to the active roster. The quarterback who turned 44 earlier this week and ranks seventh in all-time passing yards entering Week 15 was a semifinalist for this year’s Pro Football Hall of Fame class. Rivers will now have to wait another five years before he’s eligible again, assuming he retires again after this season. Fantasy managers considering using the signal caller who was in the same draft class as Eli Manning, who last played in 2019, in the fantasy playoffs have lost the plot.

While Rivers hasn’t officially been named the starter, reports that lean towards him starting against the Seahawks continue to pile up. Riley Leonard (knee) practiced in full all week and has no injury designation, but the Colts seem convinced after last week’s loss to the Jaguars that Rivers, who has a wealth of experience that includes familiarity with Shane Steichen’s offense from his Chargers days, gives them the best chance to win. Rivers isn’t a recommended fantasy option in his first game action since January 2021.

Rapoport’s segment broke no news, but he has ostensibly been working the phones since last night’s pre-game report. Rivers is taking “some” first-team reps and, per Rapoport, is throwing the football “well.” Rookie QB Riley Leonard would seemingly have a better chance of rushing his way to QB2 viability, but the Colts apparently prefer Rivers’ theoretical pocket-passing ability.

Riley Leonard (knee) has practiced in full all week, so it sure seems like he’d be available to go if the Colts wanted him to. Of course, if they really wanted him to go, they probably would not have signed a 44-year-old grandfather in the first place. So there’s that. We’ll likely get a report that Rivers will start at some point in the next 36 hours. He’s not to be trusted in superflex leagues in his first start in five years.

Rivers is reportedly taking “some first-team reps” and is throwing the football “well.” Rivers is also, apparently, familiar with the Colts’ playbook because he runs the same offense, serving as the head coach of an Alabama high school. Perhaps unbelievably, Rivers is seemingly going to start in Week 15. He has no floor as a QB2/3.