When the Indianapolis Colts, who desperately needed some help at the quarterback position after starting quarterback Daniel Jones was lost for the season, decided to ask a high school football coach to return to the league, they didn’t know what to expect.
On Sunday, however, Philip Rivers did his best to help the Colts secure a significant road victory as the team sought to stay in the NFL postseason picture. He even put the Colts in position to take the lead late in the game, only to have Seattle take the victory in heartbreaking fashion.
How Did Colts QB Philip Rivers Do Against Seahawks?
Rivers, at 44 years old, led the Colts into Lumen Field in Seattle to go up against the Seahawks. Rivers led the Colts downfield, where kicker Blake Grupe nailed a 60-yard field goal to put Indianapolis up 16-15 late in the fourth quarter.
But Seattle got the ball back, moved downfield, and Jason Meyers smacked home a 56-yard field goal with 18 seconds left. That put Seattle up 18-16 at that point. Rivers got one more chance, but threw an interception, and the Seahawks ran out the clock.
How did the old man do? Rivers was 18-of-27 passing for 120 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. Rivers did his level best to keep Indianapolis in the game, but it just didn’t work out.
Philip Rivers completed 18 of 26 pass attempts for 120 yards and a touchdown in his first NFL game in 1,800 days (since the 2020 season).
🔹 Under 10 Air Yards: 16/18, 87 yards, TD
🔹 Over 10 Air Yards: 2/8, 33 yards, INT#INDvsSEA | #ForTheShoe pic.twitter.com/YcBYrAAwIM— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) December 15, 2025
Rivers was a first-round draft pick (No. 4 overall) way back in the 2004 NFL Draft by the New York Giants. But he never played for them; instead, Rivers started playing in 2004 for the then-San Diego Chargers.
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Rivers spent 16 seasons with the San Diego-Los Angeles Chargers before going to the Colts in 2020. After that season, Rivers announced his retirement from NFL play. Rivers had gone back home and was simply going about his life, even spending time as a high school football coach.
However, when the Colts called with Jones out for the season due to a torn ACL, they sought to maintain a veteran presence in the pocket. Rookie quarterback Riley Leonard served as Rivers’ backup on Sunday, but Rivers was QB1 on Sunday.
So, how did the old man do? Let’s take a look at a few plays. Rivers hit Tyler Warren for a catch downfield, and he was feeling it in his return to the NFL.
Philip Rivers finds Tyler Warren for the longest play of the day, and QB1 is visibly fired up 😤 pic.twitter.com/zgcKByiYrh
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) December 14, 2025
Rivers, with the Colts up 6-3 in the second quarter, hit wide receiver Josh Downs, who cut across the Seattle defense, made the catch, and ran into the end zone. It was Rivers’ 422nd career NFL touchdown at that point.
44-YEAR-OLD PHILIP RIVERS THROWS HIS FIRST TD PASS OF 2025 pic.twitter.com/8EEeYrF2kg
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) December 14, 2025
Earlier in the game, Rivers connected with Michael Pittman Jr. on a nifty pass play. Rivers, while definitely having some rust to dust off, seemed to show glimpses of his earlier days in the NFL.
17 🤝11
📺CBS | @MikePitt_Jr | #ProBowlVote
pic.twitter.com/BEtzdUjMet— Indianapolis Colts (@Colts) December 14, 2025
Entering Sunday’s game, Rivers had 63,440 career passing yards, 421 touchdown passes, and 209 interceptions. In fact, Rivers was waiting to hopefully get the call about induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.
Since Rivers is now back in the NFL, though, that Hall of Fame timeline has been moved back. He’ll have to wait a while to see if he gets the phone call.
On Sunday, though, with his high school football team watching him play together on TV, Rivers went out and did his best to lead the Colts to victory. The loss, though, sends Indianapolis to 8-6 for the season.
