Philip Rivers fought back tears as he considered what message it would send to his sons, or the young men he has coached, that he nearly led the Indianapolis Colts to victory at age 44.
“There is doubt, and it’s real,” Rivers said, choking up briefly. “The guaranteed safe bet is to go home or to not go for it, and the other one is, ‘Shoot, let’s see what happens.’ I hope in that sense that can be a positive to some young boys, or young people.”
Rivers ended a nearly five-year retirement to start Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks and played efficient football for the desperate Colts, who turned to the future Hall of Famer after Daniel Jones was lost for the season with a torn Achilles tendon.
He threw a touchdown pass in the first half, played mostly mistake-free and moved the Colts into position for Blake Grupe’s 60-yard field goal with 47 seconds left. But Jason Myers responded with a 56-yarder that gave the Seahawks an 18-16 victory.
It was a remarkable day for a grandfather who’s spent the past few years coaching high school football in his native Alabama.
Rivers took a few hard hits from the Seahawks’ stout defense, and he even enjoyed them.
“I never minded that part of it,” Rivers said. “My wife always tells me I’m crazy because there’s been times in the last three or four years I said, ‘I wish I could just throw one and get hit – hard.’”
This wasn’t a novelty act, as it may have seemed when the Colts signed the Pro Football Hall of Fame semifinalist to their practice squad less than a week ago. Coach Shane Steichen’s Colts, who began the season 7-1 but are trying to stop a second-half collapse, knew what they were getting out of the veteran.
Rivers finished 18 of 27 for 120 yards with a touchdown and an interception, with the pick coming on his final pass as he tried to force the ball down the field in the closing seconds.
“I was just thankful — grateful — that I was out there,” Rivers said. “And it was a blast — it was a blast — but obviously the emotions now are disappointment. This isn’t about me. We have a team scrapping like crazy to try and stay alive and get into the postseason.”
The Colts (8-6) have dropped four straight and five of six, and they are outside the AFC playoff picture with three games left. They trail both Jacksonville and Houston in the AFC South.
Steichen called a conservative game, relying on running the ball and controlling the clock. Rivers threw mostly short passes to the outside, checkdowns and screens.
“He went out there and gave us a chance to win it,” Steichen said.
Rivers took two sacks, and he showed his age on the first one. He stumbled while evading pressure from Boye Mafe, got up, then fell again.
Rivers pumped his right fist and let out a roar after throwing an 8-yard touchdown pass to Josh Downs with 1:33 remaining in the first half to put the Colts up 13-3.
It was Rivers’ first touchdown pass since he threw a 27-yarder to Jack Doyle in the Colts’ 27-24 loss to Buffalo in a wild-card playoff game on Jan. 9, 2021. He also became the fifth player in NFL history to throw a TD pass at age 44 or older, joining Tom Brady, George Blanda, Steve DeBerg and Vinny Testaverde.
“It’s been 1,800 days since I’ve thrown a touchdown — or interception for that matter. So we have both those (boxes) checked,” Rivers said.
Rivers was chosen last month as one of 26 semifinalists for the Hall of Fame’s class of 2026 but will now have his eligibility delayed. A player must be out of the league for at least five years before his candidacy can be considered. The earliest Rivers can be a candidate is for the class of 2031.
He ranks among the top 10 in NFL history in wins, attempts, completions, yards passing, touchdown passes and 300-yard games.
Since his retirement, he’s been coaching at St. Michael Catholic High School in Fairhope, Alabama, where the team held a watch party on Sunday. Rivers’ players were on his mind as he returned to the NFL.
“Maybe it will inspire or teach not to run or be scared of what may or may not happen,” Rivers said.
Reporting by The Associated Press.
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