Some predicted 44-year-old Philip Rivers' return to the NFL after five years of retirement would end in disaster. It did not. In fact, Rivers nearly led the Indianapolis Colts to a victory over the Seattle Seahawks—a potential Super Bowl contender—on Sunday. "We came up just short," Rivers said after the 18-16 loss, per ESPN. The Colts built a 10-point first-half lead. Then Rivers led them to a field goal that put the Colts up 16-15 with 47 seconds left—only to see the Seahawks respond with a winning field goal of their own.
Physically, Rivers said the return "felt crazy how normal it felt once we got going," even after taking his first NFL hits in roughly 1,800 days, including one hard shot following a bobbled snap. "I'm grateful that I was out there, and it was a blast," Rivers said. "But, obviously, the emotions now are disappointment. This isn't about me. We've got a team that was scrapping like crazy to try to stay alive and get in the postseason." The AP notes that he got emotional when asked about the message his return sends to his sons or other young men:
- "There is doubt, and it's real," Rivers said as he briefly choked up. "The guaranteed safe bet is to go home or to not go for it, and the other one is, 'Shoot, let's see what happens.' I hope in that sense that can be a positive to some young boys, or young people."
The Colts now have a slim 8% chance to make the playoffs, but they could all but cinch an appearance by winning their final three games, per the
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