Philip Rivers is playing today because the Indianapolis Colts brought him out of retirement to fill in at quarterback after multiple injuries at the position and to try to keep their playoff hopes alive.
Roster and injury situation
The Colts lost starting quarterback Daniel Jones to a season-ending Achilles injury and also have other quarterbacks like Anthony Richardson and Riley Leonard dealing with longer-term injuries, leaving the team thin at the position. To address this, the Colts signed the 44-year-old Rivers to the practice squad during the week and then moved him to the active 53-man roster for this Week 15 game against the Seattle Seahawks.
Playoff and performance motivation
Indianapolis has been sliding in the standings, dropping several recent games and slipping out of strong playoff position, so the team hopes Rivers’ experience and decision-making can stabilize the offense and keep them in contention. Rivers, who had been retired for nearly five years and was a recent Hall of Fame semifinalist, agreed to return because he felt physically capable, welcomed the competitive challenge, and wanted to help a “desperate” Colts team still fighting for a postseason spot.
