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The Indianapolis Colts came up short in Seattle, losing 18-16 on a last-second field goal. But in Phillip Rivers' return, he provided the Colts with what they needed, some stability at the game's most important position.
Rivers' numbers certainly won't leap off the stat sheet as he threw for just 120 yards with a touchdown and an interception.
But he was mostly efficient and helped the Colts' offense sustain drives. Indianapolis was 5-for-13 on third downs and controlled the time of possession in this game.
"Very encouraged, there's no question about it," Shane Steichen said of Rivers, via Colts.com. "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."
As expected, the Colts leaned into the run game with Jonathan Taylor carrying the ball 25 times. to stay out of long down-and-distance situations.
When Rivers did drop back, the quick game was frequently utilized to get the ball out of his hands. Rivers' average time to throw was 2.41 seconds, and he averaged just 4.7 yards per target, according to PFF.
However, that helped to limit the stout Seattle pass rush, which pressured Rivers on just over 20% of his dropbacks.
Along with providing some stability, the Colts' fought hard on both sides of the ball in this game. And that juice was very much needed after losing Daniel Jones last week in Jacksonville.
So while Rivers coming out of retirement after almost five years felt like a Hail Mary by the Colts, for at least one game, we can see why Indianapolis felt that Rivers ws the best man for the job -- even if they didn't come away with the win.
This article originally appeared on Colts Wire: Colts' Shane Steichen evaluates Phillip Rivers' play vs. Seahawks
Continue reading...
Rivers' numbers certainly won't leap off the stat sheet as he threw for just 120 yards with a touchdown and an interception.
But he was mostly efficient and helped the Colts' offense sustain drives. Indianapolis was 5-for-13 on third downs and controlled the time of possession in this game.
"Very encouraged, there's no question about it," Shane Steichen said of Rivers, via Colts.com. "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."
As expected, the Colts leaned into the run game with Jonathan Taylor carrying the ball 25 times. to stay out of long down-and-distance situations.
When Rivers did drop back, the quick game was frequently utilized to get the ball out of his hands. Rivers' average time to throw was 2.41 seconds, and he averaged just 4.7 yards per target, according to PFF.
However, that helped to limit the stout Seattle pass rush, which pressured Rivers on just over 20% of his dropbacks.
Along with providing some stability, the Colts' fought hard on both sides of the ball in this game. And that juice was very much needed after losing Daniel Jones last week in Jacksonville.
So while Rivers coming out of retirement after almost five years felt like a Hail Mary by the Colts, for at least one game, we can see why Indianapolis felt that Rivers ws the best man for the job -- even if they didn't come away with the win.
This article originally appeared on Colts Wire: Colts' Shane Steichen evaluates Phillip Rivers' play vs. Seahawks
Continue reading...
