For a 44-year-old guy, Indianapolis Colts quarterback Philip Rivers was pretty good against the San Francisco 49ers on Monday Night Football.
Rivers threw for 277 yards against the Niners, more than doubling his total from the previous week (120 yards). He also threw two touchdowns and finished with a passer rating of 97.0. He did throw a late pick-six, but overall he performed well enough to give the Colts a chance, which is exactly what he was brought in to do.
Philip Rivers not interested in moral victories after loss to 49ers
Unfortunately for Rivers, his production wasn’t enough, as the Colts lost the game, 48-27. The loss was the fifth straight for the Colts and it basically extinguished any remaining playoff hopes they had. They’re not officially eliminated yet, but it’s certainly not looking good.
Given the outcome of the contest, Rivers wasn’t interested in celebrating his own play.
“There’s no prize for losing,” Rivers said. “I know this locker room is hurting again. I’ve been part of it for a short time, two losses, and I know it’s been a long slide now for over a month. I know that’s tough because I’ve been part of those slides. We’ve just got to find a way to dig deep and find a way to win a football game.
“The name of the game is winning and that’s what they did. They got it done,” Rivers added. “But I do feel like offensively we’re going to move the ball. But our job is to score more points than the other team, whatever that (number) may be. Last week, it was 18 and we didn’t get it done. This week, it would have been 41 if I hadn’t thrown the Pick-6 and we didn’t get it done.”
The Colts have two regular season games remaining against the Jacksonville Jaguars and Houston Texans – two teams right in the thick of the playoff picture in the AFC. In order to keep their slim playoff hopes alive, the Colts would need to win both of those games and also get some serious outside help. Again, not impossible, but it’s not looking likely.
Over the last couple weeks of the season, the goal for Rivers and the Colts should simply be to make things interesting by winning their games and putting pressure on other teams.
The feel-good nature of Rivers’ return certainly would have been enhanced had he been able to come in off the couch and lead the Colts to the postseason, but what Rivers has been able to do has still been impressive regardless of how Indianapolis’ season ultimately ends.