The Indianapolis Colts almost beat the Seattle Seahawks in Week 15 with 44-year-old Philip Rivers playing in his first NFL game since 2020.
Now, it seems the Colts are sticking with Rivers. On Thursday, the Colts opened the practice window for Anthony Richardson, but head coach Shane Steichen made it clear he plans on sticking with Rivers for the time being.
“Right now, Philip’s our starter,” Steichen said.
Richardson suffered an orbital bone fracture after an incident with a resistance band before the Colts’ game on October 11 and has been out ever since.
However, the Colts opened his 21-day practice window, hinting that his return could be imminent.
In regard to Richardson’s return, Steichen admitted the young QB still has vision limitations.
“As I mentioned last week, Anthony returned for physical activity, but he still has some vision limitation in his eye,” Steichen said. “So we’re gonna get him back on the practice field, get him throwing, doing some scout team reps. It’s just something that he’ll have to manage through the process.”
Rivers’ first NFL action since 2020 had its ups and downs. He threw a touchdown pass to Joshua Downs early in the game, but he also had another viral moment where his age clearly showed on a dropback.
Rivers ended the game going 18-of-27 for 120 yards with a touchdown and an interception, but the Colts lost to the Seahawks, 18-16, at Lumen Field in Seattle, Wash.
The Colts are 8-6 and still alive in the AFC playoff race. They face the San Francisco 49ers in Week 16 on “Monday Night Football” before finishing the year against the Jacksonville Jaguars and Houston Texans in a pair of crucial AFC South games.
