The Indianapolis Colts are desperate and struggling. That makes them a dangerous team for the Seattle Seahawks in Week 15. Seattle is surging toward potentially being the top seed in the NFC. Indy is diminishing toward missing the playoffs after a 7-1 start.
In hopes of salvaging its season, Indianapolis signed quarterback Philip Rivers. The long-retired QB has most recently been coaching high school football. He hasn't played since 2020, which also happened to be his only season with the Colts previously. Expecting him to go from not playing to being good against a great Seahawks defense might be expecting too much.
Many NFL executives have been skeptical of Indianapolis bringing in Rivers. One anonymous exec told The Athletic about Rivers' return ahead of Week 15, "Fun story, but I think it’s going to be a disaster."
Philip Rivers' immediate success might lie completely in the hands of the Seattle Seahawks
The definitive answer to that last part could lie with the Seahawks. Head coach Mike Macdonald has the defense to make sure Rivers' return is a complete misery. The quarterback has never been a smooth mover, has an extremely high football IQ, but had diminishing arm strength before he initially retired. Indianapolis will also likely be missing right tackle Braden Smith.
Smith suffered a concussion and a neck injury in a Week 14 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars. This means a rusty Rivers should be even more exposed against an elite Seattle pass rush. No matter who lines up on the right for the Seahawks should have a good chance to get immediate pressure on Rivers or Riley Leonard, the other options for the Colts as QB1.
If Rivers does start against the Seattle Seahawks, there might be some rightful nervousness among 12s. While Philip Rivers might be a bit out of playing shape currently, and potentially does not possess the arm strength he had earlier in his career, he has always been a smart QB.
He will know to get rid of the ball quickly, not take bad sacks, and put his skill position players in a spot where they might be able to create explosive plays. Completely laughing off a potentially decent version of Rivers (or even Riley Leonard) would be a mistake.
What also cannot be ruled out is the initial energy of the feel-good story that the success of Philip Rivers could bring. The Seattle Seahawks need to snuff that out early in the game. Otherwise, Seattle might be faced with winning a difficult game 27-24. A win is a win, but if that is the score, both teams might be winners.