The Seattle Seahawks didn't know if they would face the newly signed Philip Rivers with the Indianapolis Colts in Week 15. Indy was in bad need of a veteran quarterback who could hopefully keep their push toward the postseason alive. The issue was their brutal schedule, which included Seattle.
While NFL teams don't scheme toward a certain player or two (that's a college thing, while league teams focus more on system versus system), the Seahawks did have to prepare for the different styles of Rivers or Riley Leonard, the other option for Indianapolis at quarterback.
Leonard is a rookie with little experience, but he can certainly run a lot better than Rivers, though he lacks the quick decision-making of the un-retired QB. Rivers doesn't run well, but is smart enough to know how to avoid contact. Or, at least, he did.
Seattle Seahawks safety Julian Love prepared to play (and respect) Colts' Philip Rivers
But one thing is certain: The Seattle Seahawks respect what Philip Rivers was able to do in his career. Safety Julian Love implied as much while speaking with Seattle Sports 710 AM ahead of Week 15. While his fellow players might not let up if they are close to bringing Rivers to the ground, the team might be more careful about how it trash-talks the quarterback.
Love said that facing Rivers would be "weird," that the team was preparing to face the 44-year-old quarterback nearly from the point he signed with the Colts. The presumption is that a player of Rivers' caliber doesn't decide to play again only to be a backup.
But the safety added that the respect for Rivers "had to be factored into the trash-talking. I'm sure the doers will do in that regard (but) it's so unusual."
In other words, the Seattle Seahawks are going to beat the Indianapolis Colts, of course, and hopefully perform to perfection their defensive scheme, but at the same time, Seattle players will respect Philip Rivers, just as they would most other aging veterans who are trying to do something so unique as to play a game five years after they initially retired.
Mostly, though, the Seahawks obviously want to sack Rivers quite a bit and have an easy victory against a Colts team that is also missing three of its best defensive players (DeForest Buckner, Sauce Gardner, and Charvarius Ward). There would be nothing wrong with giving Rivers a hand up after he has been forced to the ground.