SEATTLE – Philip Rivers would've had every right to take a metaphorical victory lap in the moments following his first game in 1,800 days.
At 44 years old, Rivers threw the 422nd touchdown of his career and got the Colts into position to take a one-point lead with under a minute left against one of the NFL's best defenses and in one of the league's most cacophonous environments. For all the "is this a good idea" chatter and dramatic hot takes surrounding Rivers' return, he took a few hits and got right back up, and made a few vintage throws on Sunday.
But as Rivers gripped both sides of a podium in room underneath Lumen Field, he explained that his prevailing emotion was not about what he proved in his unprecedented late-season return. It was disappointment that the Colts lost, 18-16, on Sunday to the Seattle Seahawks in Week 15, dropping his no-longer-former team to 8-6.
"This isn't about me," Rivers said. "We got a team that's scrapping like crazy to try to stay alive and get in the postseason. So obviously, we're all disappointed. Came up just short, game kind of played out just how we thought it was going to play out in terms of how we were going to win the game, kind of one of those grind-it-out kind of games. And we didn't find a way to get it done, is the bottom line."
Rivers completed 18 of 27 passes for 120 yards with a seven-yard touchdown to wide receiver Josh Downs and a last-second interception on a desperation heave with 11 seconds left. Last week, Rivers emphasized he was not here to save the Colts' season; on Sunday, that was hardly his role. The Colts tried to control the clock by pounding the Seahawks with a steady drumbeat of handoffs to Jonathan Taylor, and for the first two quarters of Sunday, it worked.
The Colts took a 13-6 lead into halftime behind 10 first downs; they held the ball for 19 of the first 30 minutes of game play. But whether it was because the Seahawks made some tweaks at halftime or because the Colts, after Bernhard Raimann sustained an elbow injury, were down both their starting tackles, the Colts' weren't as successful in executing their ball-control-oriented game plan.
In the second half, the Colts possessed the ball for 12:03 and picked up just four first downs. And while the Seahawks didn't get in the end zone – even with a pair of possessions that reached the red zone – there was just enough time left on the clock for kicker Jason Myers to connect on his sixth field goal of the day, a game-winning 56-yarder with under 20 seconds left.
That last field goal meant Rivers getting the Colts in position for Blake Grupe to thump a 60-yard kick through the uprights with under a minute left was, ultimately, for naught.
"It's storybook," running back Ameer Abdullah said, "but not the side of the story we want to be on."
The Colts were up against it on Sunday, with the "it" being a 10-win Seahawks team vying for the NFC No. 1 seed behind a top defense and the potential offensive player of the year in wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Entering Week 15, Seattle hadn't allowed a touchdown in two consecutive weeks; they had scored at least a touchdown in every game this year and were second in the NFL in points per game.
If the Colts were going to win, it was going to take a full-team effort; Rivers would only be a part of it. And it nearly happened: The Seahawks gave up a touchdown and didn't score one; in a field position-oriented game, punter Rigoberto Sanchez was excellent, Abdullah popped a 44-yard return and Grupe hit a 54-yard field goal before his 60-yarder.
Stuff like that stuck with Rivers after the game.
"Just being in that team meeting and the meetings last night and everything, and a whole week, these guys are all about it," Rivers said. "And you can be all about it and you can go after something and I can stand here to say it doesn't always work out. You know what I mean? You can do all those things and that doesn't mean you're going to win, because there's a lot of other teams that are doing it too that you're playing against. So I think the mindset and the work ethic, all the things, all the buzzwords you've all heard, that's all here. Ain't no question about that. You just gotta find a way. It's a one-score league. It's what it is."
Still, Rivers' impact on the Colts before and during Sunday's game – and, undoubtedly, after it – was noticeable. His decision to end his retirement and delay his case for Canton another five injected life into a Colts team reeling from losing not only three consecutive games, but also starting quarterback Daniel Jones.
And head coach Shane Steichen, ultimately, was pleased with what Rivers brought to the Colts – which, again, goes beyond his stat line.
"Very encouraged, there's no question about it," Steichen said. "For him to go out there and do what he did after five years off, to have a chance to win it, get a game-winning field goal – close to it – with 40 seconds left in a hostile environment against a top defense. Just shows his commitment to coming back and playing the way he did and fighting like crazy for his teammates. I thought that was pretty awesome."
Rivers, during his near-five-year layoff, didn't lose an ounce of competitiveness. Sure, he reflected on Sunday's game with thankfulness and gratitude for the opportunity to go sling it around with the guys again. But there were no victory laps.
The Colts didn't win, after all.
"It was a real blessing to be back out there with the guys," Rivers said. "But obviously this is about the Colts and the Seahawks, and we didn't find a way to get it done. And certainly, a few plays here and there I'd like back. But all in all, we just didn't find a way."
