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Playing his first NFL game in 1,800 days, 44-year-old quarterback Philip Rivers threw a touchdown Sunday for the Indianapolis Colts while nearly upsetting a Super Bowl contender.
Rivers completed 18 of his 27 passes for 120 yards and led a drive that put the Colts ahead with less than a minute remaining in the fourth quarter before Seattle kicked its own go-ahead field goal, 18-16.
Rivers and the Colts got the ball back for one final opportunity 70 yards from the end zone and with 11 seconds to go in regulation, but the drive’s first play was also its last. A deep throw by Rivers down the middle of the field went over his intended receiver’s head and was intercepted, sealing Seattle’s win.
Rivers, a father of 10 and a grandfather, started for Indianapolis weeks after being named a semifinalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and just five days after coming out of retirement to sign with the Colts, after injuries had decimated their quarterbacks.
Rivers joined Tom Brady, Vinny Testaverde, Warren Moon, Steve DeBerg and George Blanda as the only quarterbacks in NFL history to play at age 44 or older.
An afterthought in the preseason, Indianapolis had transformed into a surprise Super Bowl contender after a 7-1 start, only to lose four of its next five games. In its most recent defeat last week, it also lost starting quarterback Daniel Jones to a season-ending Achilles’ tendon injury.
With injuries hobbling its other quarterbacks, Indianapolis turned to an unusual stopgap measure in Rivers — who is older than 13 of the NFL’s 32 head coaches, including Colts coach Shane Steichen — to salvage its playoff aspirations. The franchise and the Hall of Fame semifinalist had familiarity: Rivers spent the first 16 seasons of his career with San Diego before playing his final year with Indianapolis in 2020. He ranked fifth all-time in passing yardage and passing touchdowns in NFL history when he retired.
Competing at a high level is no longer a rarity for over-40 athletes, with Tom Brady, LeBron James and even downhill skier Lindsey Vonn all remaining world-class well after exiting their prime. Yet Rivers’ return was extraordinary because of the length of his break. Rivers had coached a high school team in Fairhope, Alabama, in retirement, and members of the team were shown cheering Rivers on during Sunday’s Week 15 matchup in Seattle.
There was little time for Rivers to ease into his first game since Jan. 9, 2021 while facing a Seahawks defense that ranks among the NFL’s best. Yet Rivers converted a third down on his first drive, and late in the second quarter threw his 422nd career touchdown.
After leading for much of the game, Indianapolis trailed 15-13 in the fourth quarter when Rivers trotted onto the field with 2:21 remaining to try to add to his career total of 36 game-winning drives.
Rivers threw completions for 16 and three yards, respectively, to help Indianapolis get into range for kicker Blake Grupe, who made a career-long 60-yard kick with 47 seconds left to give Indianapolis a 16-15 lead.
That was enough time remaining, however, for Seattle to mount its own drive, which ended with a 56-yard kick to take back the lead, 18-16, with 18 seconds to play.
