Philip Rivers or Riley Leonard is not Lamar Jackson. That much should be known in terms of the Seattle Seahawks scheming against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 15. The reason is that Indy head coach Shane Steichen seems to be playing the fool in terms of his quarterback situation.
In Week 14, Indy lost starting QB Daniel Jones to an Achilles tendon tear that will likely keep him out until late in the 2026 season. Wherever he signs in 2026, free agency is not Seattle's concern. Instead, that focus is directed at who the Colts will play in Week 15.
After Jones was injured, Indianapolis signed 44-year-old Philip Rivers, who has been retired since 2020. If Seattle were facing the version of Rivers from seven years ago, maybe there would be an issue. Instead. Seattle could be facing a rusty Rivers or the rookie Riley Leonard. Neither should be much of an issue.
Seattle Seahawks' Mike Macdonald won't be fooled by Colts' Shane Steichen's indecision
Shane Steichen isn't letting anyone know who Indy's QB1 for Week 15 will be. Instead, the Colts' head coach has said the team is still working through who might start. This much is clear: Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald won't care either way.
The truth is that Indianapolis's offensive scheme is what it is. Unless they were to add a player with a unique set of skills, like Lamar Jackson, the system would be run the same. The question would be which quarterback can execute it best. The throws that Rivers makes versus Leonard aren't changing much.
Leonard can run better. Rivers is likely the smarter player. That won't matter to Seattle.
The Seahawks' defensive scheme is so sound that the team will play the scheme Macdonald wants to play, and that will force Indianapolis to adjust. The chances that the Colts were going to outscore Seattle, even if Daniel Jones had remained healthy, were extremely remote.
Instead, the Colts can keep trying to make fans guess who will be the team's starting quarterback for Week 15, but they might as well name one. Mike Macdonald and his defense are going to be prepared either way. NFL coaches don't focus on certain players most of the time; they focus on the scheme.
The Seattle Seahawks' defensive scheme is probably better than the Indianapolis Colts' offensive scheme, no matter how healthy Indy is. No matter who starts for Shane Steichen's team at quarterback in Week 15, that player should be prepared for the full ferociousness of an elite Mike Macdonald defense.