Philip Rivers' Start for Colts Evaluated by NFL Coach After Return at 44 Years Old

In the aftermath of a valiant effort by Philip Rivers and the Indianapolis Colts in Sunday's 18-16 loss to the Seattle Seahawks, the 44-year-old quarterback's performance in the game is being evaluated by people within the league.

Per ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, one offensive coach described Rivers as having "played about as well as he could have" under the circumstances.

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The final stat line for Rivers is probably better than expected. He went 18-of-27 for 120 yards with one touchdown and one interception.

Rivers was put in a situation that seemed nearly impossible to succeed, not just because of his age. He hadn't played in a game prior to Sunday since Jan. 9, 2021, and could have been elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in six weeks if he remained retired.

Instead, as a result of injuries to Daniel Jones and Riley Leonard, the Colts signed Rivers on Dec. 10. Even though the high school team he was coaching was running the same offense Shane Steichen employs in Indianapolis, he still had only four days from the time of his signing to prepare for Seattle's defense.

That Seahawks defense, by the way, ranks second in the NFL in points allowed per game and fifth in pass-rush win rate.

Rivers seemed aware of the situation and got rid of the ball quickly. His time to throw of 2.36 seconds was the second-fastest of any quarterback in Week 15, behind only Aaron Rodgers (2.32 seconds).

It's not a surprise those two are at the top of the list because they are the oldest starting quarterbacks in the league and don't move as well as they used to.

Despite some obvious limitations for the offense with Rivers under center, Steichen has already announced they will keep him as the starter in Week 16 against the San Francisco 49ers on Monday Night Football.

The Colts' (8-6) playoff hopes are reeling in the midst of a four-game losing streak. They are one game behind the Houston Texans for the final wild card spot in the AFC with three weeks remaining in the regular season.