The New England Patriots’ stunning choke job in Week 15 against the Buffalo Bills was one of the top storylines across the NFL, but it wasn’t the only big one. Across the league, one of the AFC’s playoff hopefuls, the Indianapolis Colts, made a shocking Hail Mary move involving 44-year-old quarterback Philip Rivers in their game against the Seattle Seahawks.
After Daniel Jones suffered a torn Achilles tendon in Week 14, the Colts lured Rivers out of retirement to come in and start at quarterback for them. Considering Rivers’ aforementioned age and the fact that he hadn’t played in the NFL since the 2020 season, it was seen as a last-gasp decision by Indy to keep its playoff hopes alive.
Rivers wasn’t exactly spectacular (18/27, 120 YDS, 1 TD, 1 INT), but he gave the Colts a shot to take down one of the top teams in the league. One guy who had a front row seat for Rivers’ return as part of CBS’ broadcast crew for the game was former Patriots Super Bowl champion Jason McCourty, and he was very impressed with what he saw from Rivers.
“The one thing that was impressive to me was the way he controlled the line of scrimmage and how he was able to get them in and out of the right play throughout the game,” McCourty said on “Good Morning Football.” “They made the game into one of time of possession, running the football, and kind of slowing the game down.”
The situation that Rivers was thrown into wasn’t exactly designed for him to succeed, but he nearly led the Colts to an improbable win. As a result, they are on the ropes when it comes to their playoff hopes, but Rivers has proven that he can put this team in position to win games moving forward.
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As for the Patriots, they will also be looking to get back in the win column after their tough loss in Week 15. Another difficult matchup looms for them, though, as they will hit the road to take on the Baltimore Ravens for a nationally televised game on Sunday Night Football in Week 16.
