Philip Rivers found a way to do something on Monday Night Football that he'd never done before.
It didn't take long, either, for the Indianapolis Colts' QB to make his own bit of personal history.
On Indy's very first drive, Rivers caught a 49ers defender in the neutral zone at the snap. The flag was thrown. Rivers knew he had a free play with the offsides, because the worst outcome would be gaining those five yards.
But the play was alive, so Rivers looked down the field. He stepped up and fired a toss to Alec Pierce in the end zone.
The Colts' impressive jump-ball wideout came down with it for a 20-yard touchdown.
Amazingly, ESPN shared that it was the first free-play touchdown of Rivers' career.
PHILIP RIVERS OPENING DRIVE TUDDY TO ALEC PIERCE 🔥 pic.twitter.com/UDkO1izXzg
— ESPN (@espn) December 23, 2025
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Aaron Rodgers is the master of it, but most QBs find a way to make a free play work every now and again.
For whatever reason, it was never really part of Rivers' arsenal.
Now back as the wily super-veteran, Rivers is pulling out all the tricks.
And on this one, it worked to give the Colts an early lead.
Indy's defense couldn't stop the 49ers all night, which spoiled a good game from Rivers.
But the 44-year old proved he can still get it done, and it was pretty darn fun to watch.
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