Over the course of the last two weeks, Philip Rivers' football acumen and understanding of the game has been on full display for the first time in five years, and it's clear the 44-year-old hasn't lost a bit of his edge.
He's making his checkdowns, adjusting to defenses at the line of scrimmage and working with the Colts receiving corps in a way that would convince you he's been around for a whole lot longer than 14 days. With Rivers behind center, Alec Pierce notched the first multi-touchdown game of his career, Josh Downs has been utilized in key moments and the offensive line -- despite being down a couple of key starters in Braden Smith, Bernhard Raimann and, in Week 16, Tanor Bortolini -- has largely succeeded in protecting Rivers in the pocket, giving up just three sacks.
The Colts have not been able to get a win in the two games Rivers has played in -- their loss on Monday night to the San Francisco 49ers was their fifth consecutive defeat -- but that doesn't mean Rivers hasn't reinvigorated the Colts locker room or that the Colts aren't soaking up every bit of knowledge they can from the 17-year veteran and eight-time Pro Bowler.
"I've been around him for two weeks and I've been blown away a couple times," offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter said Wednesday. "'ve been lucky enough in my career to be around some guys that really, really see the game at a high level and it's been really fun to be around Philip and, like Shane (Steichen) said, there were a couple times where we left him at the line of scrimmage and let him operate, direct traffic, and shoot -- he can deduce the defense a lot better than some of us sometimes. He's been really fun to work with, really fun to be around and learn from."
"He's almost like playing OC (offensive coordinator) out there himself," Pierce said after Monday night's game, in which Rivers completed 65.7 percent of his passes for 277 yards and two touchdowns (both to Pierce). "He's calm. We had a lot of plays where we would get to the line and just motion, he'd figure out the coverage and just call a play there. So, that's pretty, pretty impressive, pretty cool to see him do that."
Any doubts about Rivers' ability to adapt to the NFL after five years away from the game have been quickly squashed, especially after his impressive performance against the 49ers. One thing that was never in question, though, was Rivers' mental capabilities and his ability to connect with his teammates. And now, entering his third week in the locker room, the Colts are only going to keep building on those things.
"He was able to adapt really quickly," Jonathan Taylor said. "Just being able to build upon the previous weeks, and I think we've been able to do so, especially with the level Philip is at. He's able to improve each and every single day, so I do think this will be another step forward this week."
It's not just football that the other Colts players can learn from Rivers, either -- it's attitude. With just two weeks left in the regular season and their playoff chances just barely hanging on, Rivers has the right perspective as someone who has been in similar situations in the past, and as someone who knows not to take any opportunity to play football for granted. Steichen confirmed that Rivers will once again be the starting quarterback for the Colts this weekend against the Jacksonville Jaguars, regardless of their playoff situation, and Rivers is determined to take full advantage of being a quarterback in the league.
"We want to win a football game," Rivers said Wednesday. "I think that's the biggest thing is our mindset, keeping it singular and finding a way to win a game. Really don't take for granted the opportunities we have. I mean, that's really kind of my message to the guys. Football's going to end for all of us. I certainly thought it had for me, and now knowing that these opportunities are really, really few here down the stretch, just want to embrace the challenge and go cut it loose."
