Philip Rivers Will Start Again For the Indianapolis Colts In Week 16
Just when you thought it was safe to pack away the bolo ties and unretire the number 17 jerseys, the NFL reminds us that time is a flat circle. In what feels like a fever dream from 2025, Philip Rivers is strapping on the pads again.
Indianapolis Colts Head Coach Shane Steichen confirmed on Monday that the veteran gunslinger will remain the starter for a pivotal Week 16 matchup against the San Francisco 49ers. If you had “Philip Rivers starts on Monday Night Football in 2025” on your bingo card, go buy a lottery ticket immediately.
Rivers’ Return Against Seattle
Let’s be honest: last week wasn’t exactly a vintage performance, but considering the man hadn’t taken an NFL snap since the January 2021 Wild Card round, it could have been worse. In the 18-16 loss to the Seattle Seahawks, Rivers went 18-of-27 for 120 yards. He threw a touchdown, tossed a pick, and took a sack.
He didn’t light the world on fire, but he got the offense moving enough to take a late lead, only for the defense to falter in the final minute. For a guy who probably had to dig his cleats out of a trophy case, standing in the pocket against NFL pass rushers without shattering into dust is an achievement in itself.
Playoff Hopes Hanging By a Thread
The stakes for this Monday night clash couldn’t be higher. The Colts are currently sitting at 8-6, clinging desperately to the No. 8 seed in the AFC. But the trajectory is terrifying. After a blistering 7-1 start to the season, Indy has nose-dived, losing five of its last six games.
If the Colts can’t stop the bleeding, they are staring down the barrel of some ugly history. They could become the first team since the merger to start 7-1 and miss the postseason entirely in the seven-team playoff era. That is the kind of statistic that gets coaches fired and sends fanbases into a spiraling depression. Bringing in Rivers is a desperate haymaker to avoid that collapse.
Shane Steichen Doubles Down On Rivers
Despite Anthony Richardson being medically cleared from his eye injury, the coaching staff is opting for experience over athleticism right now. Steichen noted that while Richardson is cleared, they are still working him back into the mix physically. With Daniel Jones done for the year due to an Achilles injury, the keys to the franchise belong to the 44-year-old dad strength of Philip Rivers.
The 49ers’ defense is no joke, and asking a quarterback to shake off nearly five years of rust on national television is a tall order. But Rivers has made a career out of defiant, trash-talking, side-arm-throwing competitiveness. Whether it ends in a miraculous playoff run or a quiet exit, one thing is for sure: Monday night just got a whole lot more interesting.
