The Indianapolis Colts didn't play on Saturday, but their playoff dreams ended on Saturday anyway.
They were officially eliminated from the playoffs because of the Los Angeles Chargers.
Specifically, because the Chargers lost to the Houston Texans, who clinched a playoff spot at the expense of Indy.
And so with that, the team that kept the returned-from-retirement Philip Rivers out of the playoffs was, ironically, the Chargers.
Rivers, of course, was a star for most of his NFL career with the Chargers (in San Diego).
Philip Rivers won’t go to the playoffs because the Chargers lost again
— ThatsGoodSports (@BrandonPerna) December 28, 2025
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The idea of that being the case in 2025 is wild.
Before a couple weeks ago, the last NFL game Rivers had played was a playoff loss for the Colts on Jan. 9, 2021.
But now, Rivers is back, at 44 years old, and he was trying to save the Colts' season.
He played pretty well in his first game, quite well in his second game and yet didn't have wins to show for either appearance.
Now, Rivers may not even finish out the season. The Colts may decide to start sixth-round rookie Riley Leonard for developmental purposes.
It's not all the Chargers' fault. But they didn't help.
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