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Stephen Holder
INDIANAPOLIS — The Philip Rivers experiment just isn’t over.
Indianapolis Colts coach Shane Steichen confirmed Monday that Rivers, newly unretired and contemporary off his first sport in 5 years, will stay the crew’s beginning quarterback for its Week 16 “Monday Night time Soccer” matchup with the San Francisco 49ers.
The Colts fell 18-16 to the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday in Rivers’ first motion because the 2020 season. He had a modest statistical efficiency, finishing 18 of 27 passes for 120 yards. However Steichen lauded Rivers for his administration of the sport, which stays a driving pressure behind maintaining him within the lineup.
“Him being off for that lengthy, clearly, there was some unknown,” Steichen mentioned. “However for him to go on the market and do what he did to place us able to win, in a hostile surroundings, after that lengthy of a layoff, was fairly spectacular. Getting us into the fitting performs, managing the sport. I assumed he was phenomenal in that regard on the sidelines. His management — all these issues that he brings to our crew — will probably be helpful for all of us.”
One other variable within the 44-year-old Rivers remaining the starter is his well being. He took some forceful hits within the sport, his first since his remaining NFL season. There was concern throughout the group about how Rivers’ physique would reply. However Rivers was again at Colts headquarters Monday and mentioned he was doing simply nice.
“He feels good,” Steichen mentioned. “He is within the quarterback room proper now watching tape. He mentioned he felt good. He mentioned, ‘I obtained my regular bruises that I had once I performed,’ however he mentioned, ‘I really feel fairly darn good.’ So, that was good for him to come back out of the sport clear.”
Although Steichen stays dedicated to Rivers, there’s one other quarterback wrinkle price mentioning. Anthony Richardson Sr., the Colts’ 2023 first-round decide, is nearing a return to the apply area, Steichen mentioned. Richardson has been on injured reserve since October after sustaining a fractured orbital bone close to his proper eye throughout a freak pregame warmup accident. The fragile nature of the damage has sidelined him ever since and made him unavailable after starter Daniel Jones‘ season-ending ruptured Achilles in Week 14.
However docs have given Richardson the inexperienced mild to ramp up his exercise, and there are discussions underway about the best way to transfer ahead, Steichen mentioned.
Richardson has been again working within the weight room for some time and has resumed throwing, Steichen mentioned. The crew should declare his apply window open for him to return to the apply area, throughout which he would have 21 days to be evaluated and be activated. The Colts have simply three regular-season video games remaining.
As for Rivers, when he performs subsequent week, it may look totally different from the conservative sport plan the Colts employed Sunday, Steichen mentioned. Solely 9 of Rivers’ 27 go makes an attempt traveled greater than 5 yards downfield.
“We wished to run the ball, management the clock, take straightforward completions, and I assumed we did a reasonably good job of that, Steichen mentioned.
He added, later, “I feel each sport plan will probably be totally different. That was the sport plan going into it for that sport.”
Sunday’s loss dropped the Colts to 8-6 on the season, a sport behind the Houston Texans for the AFC’s remaining wild-card spot.
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