44-year-old Philip Rivers has found himself on the player roster just days after returning to the league. The Indianapolis Colts quarterback will start against the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday. As a never-before-seen story in the league, the Colts signed their former quarterback as a Hail Mary. 

At the very start, quarterback Daniel Jones tore his ankle and was deemed unfit to play this season. He was replaced by Riley Leonard. The rookie, however, injured his knee this week. With their backup, Anthony Richardson still unavailable due to a broken orbital, the Colts were desperate for a reliable and seasoned player.

Rivers, who played his last NFL season for the Colts in 2020, had recorded 24 touchdowns with 4169 yards and 11 interceptions that season. On January 9, 2021, in his final match, he scored two touchdowns for 309 yards against the Bills.

Rivers joined the Colts as the team slipped from its initial good performance. But his bond with Steichen persuaded him to come back. As Rivers stated, "As simple as can be, a coach that I love and an organization that I really enjoyed being with."  

Shane Steichen will coach Rivers, who was his quarterback coach with the Chargers from 2016- 2019.

The Colts are currently at 8-5 and need to win upcoming matches if they want to make it to the playoffs. Will Rivers end the Colts’ slump on Sunday?

Written by

Akanksha Biradar

Edited by

Joyita Das