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After nearly a five-year hiatus, Phillip Rivers is officially an NFL quarterback again, making his return in the Indianapolis Colts' Week 15 matchup with Seattle.The 44-year-old played his final season before retirement with Indianapolis after spending 16 years with the Chargers organization in San Diego and Los Angeles.
In 2020, Rivers played in all 16 games, completing 369-of-543 passing attempts (68%) for 4,169 yards, 24 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions. He returned for his 18th season as an NFL quarterback and as the oldest active player in the league. However, he came up just short of victory as the Colts fell to the Seattle Seahawks, 18-16. Rivers completed 18-of-27 attempts for 120 yards and a touchdown – an eight-yard pass to Josh Downs to take a 13-3 lead over Seattle late in the first half.
He got the ball out quickly, averaging just 2.41 seconds to throw, and was under pressure on 21.4% of his dropbacks, according to PFF's early tracking data.
The Colts also leaned into the run game, with Jonathan Taylor carrying the ball 25 times.
Rivers also threw an interception with 11 seconds remaining in the game, which secured Seattle’s 11th victory of the season.
Rivers connected with six different pass catchers – Michael Pittman Jr, Ameer Abdullah, Tyler Warren, Jonathan Taylor, Alec Pierce, and Josh Downs – with Abdullah leading Indianapolis’ receiving corps with five receptions.
He had an average depth of 4.7 yards per target, which helped him rack up 120 passing yards. Pittman caught three passes for 26 yards, Warren caught three passes for 19 yards, Taylor caught three passes for 14 yards, and Downs caught three passes for 13 yards.
Pierce has just one reception, but it was a crucial first-down grab in the final minutes of the game to extend Indianapolis’s 7-play, 26-yard drive that set up a potential Blake Grupe game-winning 60-yard field goal.
Grupe finished the game, converting all three of his field goal attempts, and did his best to try to will Indianapolis to a victory.
However, Seahawks kicker Jason Myers simply outdueled Grupe and the entire Colts offense, as he connected on all six of his field goal attempts, scoring all 18 of Seattle's points. After nearly five years, I don't know what many people expected from Rivers, but from someone who has not played professional football in half a decade, I think he met the moment.
With less than a week to get adjusted to the Colts' offense, he clearly found trust in his receivers and showed positive signs for Indianapolis moving forward if he is to remain the starter. Furthermore, he proved just how competitive it is to play in the NFL in 2025 and that he can hang with one of the league's top defensive units.
This article originally appeared on Colts Wire: Recapping Phillip Rivers NFL return in Colts' Week 15 loss v. Seahawks
Continue reading...
In 2020, Rivers played in all 16 games, completing 369-of-543 passing attempts (68%) for 4,169 yards, 24 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions. He returned for his 18th season as an NFL quarterback and as the oldest active player in the league. However, he came up just short of victory as the Colts fell to the Seattle Seahawks, 18-16. Rivers completed 18-of-27 attempts for 120 yards and a touchdown – an eight-yard pass to Josh Downs to take a 13-3 lead over Seattle late in the first half.
He got the ball out quickly, averaging just 2.41 seconds to throw, and was under pressure on 21.4% of his dropbacks, according to PFF's early tracking data.
The Colts also leaned into the run game, with Jonathan Taylor carrying the ball 25 times.
Rivers also threw an interception with 11 seconds remaining in the game, which secured Seattle’s 11th victory of the season.
Rivers connected with six different pass catchers – Michael Pittman Jr, Ameer Abdullah, Tyler Warren, Jonathan Taylor, Alec Pierce, and Josh Downs – with Abdullah leading Indianapolis’ receiving corps with five receptions.
He had an average depth of 4.7 yards per target, which helped him rack up 120 passing yards. Pittman caught three passes for 26 yards, Warren caught three passes for 19 yards, Taylor caught three passes for 14 yards, and Downs caught three passes for 13 yards.
Pierce has just one reception, but it was a crucial first-down grab in the final minutes of the game to extend Indianapolis’s 7-play, 26-yard drive that set up a potential Blake Grupe game-winning 60-yard field goal.
Grupe finished the game, converting all three of his field goal attempts, and did his best to try to will Indianapolis to a victory.
CAREER LONG FOR BLAKE GRUPE
CBS pic.twitter.com/1oCQukF0tx
— Indianapolis Colts (@Colts) December 15, 2025
However, Seahawks kicker Jason Myers simply outdueled Grupe and the entire Colts offense, as he connected on all six of his field goal attempts, scoring all 18 of Seattle's points. After nearly five years, I don't know what many people expected from Rivers, but from someone who has not played professional football in half a decade, I think he met the moment.
With less than a week to get adjusted to the Colts' offense, he clearly found trust in his receivers and showed positive signs for Indianapolis moving forward if he is to remain the starter. Furthermore, he proved just how competitive it is to play in the NFL in 2025 and that he can hang with one of the league's top defensive units.
This article originally appeared on Colts Wire: Recapping Phillip Rivers NFL return in Colts' Week 15 loss v. Seahawks
Continue reading...
