Playing in his first NFL game in nearly 1,800 days, 44-year-old quarterback Philip Rivers made an unprecedented return Sunday, throwing a touchdown pass and nearly pulling off an upset of a Super Bowl contender in the Indianapolis Colts’ 18–16 loss to the Seattle Seahawks.
Rivers completed 18 of 27 passes for 120 yards and led a late fourth-quarter drive that gave Indianapolis the lead with under a minute remaining. However, Seattle responded with a go-ahead field goal, and Rivers’ final desperation pass was intercepted as time expired.
The Colts took over at their own 30-yard line with 11 seconds left and a chance to steal the game. Rivers’ first throw down the middle sailed just beyond his intended receiver and was picked off, sealing Seattle’s win.
The comeback itself was remarkable. Rivers—a father of 10 and a grandfather—returned to the NFL just five days after coming out of retirement and weeks after being named a Pro Football Hall of Fame semifinalist. He signed with Indianapolis after injuries ravaged the team’s quarterback room.
The Colts had surged to a 7–1 start and emerged as a surprise Super Bowl contender, only to lose four of their next five games. Their most recent setback included a season-ending Achilles injury to starting quarterback Daniel Jones, forcing Indianapolis to turn to Rivers as an emergency solution to salvage its playoff hopes.
The decision reunited Rivers with a franchise he knows well. He spent the final season of his career with the Colts in 2020 after 16 years with the Chargers. At the time of his retirement, Rivers ranked fifth all-time in NFL history in both passing yards and passing touchdowns.
With little time to prepare and facing one of the league’s top defenses, Rivers showed little rust. He converted a third down on his opening drive and later threw the 422nd touchdown pass of his career late in the second quarter.
After leading for much of the game, Indianapolis trailed 15–13 when Rivers took the field with 2:21 remaining, looking to add to his total of 36 career game-winning drives. He nearly did just that, completing passes of 16 and three yards to set up kicker Blake Grupe for a career-long 60-yard field goal. Grupe drilled it with 47 seconds left, giving the Colts a 16–15 lead.
Seattle answered quickly. After a strong kickoff return, quarterback Sam Darnold led the Seahawks 25 yards with two completions, setting up Jason Myers’ 56-yard field goal. Myers converted with 18 seconds remaining to reclaim the lead at 18–16.
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.
The Colts (8-6) have dropped four straight and five of six, and they are outside the AFC playoff picture with three games left. They trail both Jacksonville and Houston in the AFC South and have three games remaining—against the San Francisco 49ers, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Houston Texans. Whether Rivers can lead Indianapolis to a late-season surge remains uncertain, but his return suggests he’s willing to keep trying until the end.
Every pass attempt from Philip Rivers' NFL return pic.twitter.com/imtBnohp3c
— NFL (@NFL) December 15, 2025
