Colts Nearly Shock Seahawks in Wild Finish Behind 44-Year-Old Philip Rivers
In a game that felt like it was ripped straight from a Hollywood script, the Indianapolis Colts came within inches of pulling off one of the most improbable wins of the NFL season. With 47 seconds left on the clock, Blake Grupe drilled a 60-yard field goal through the cold Seattle air, giving the Colts a brief lead and igniting real belief that they were about to take down the 10-3 Seahawks on their home turf.
Let’s be clear: this wasn’t supposed to happen. The Colts were down multiple starters on both sides of the ball.
Defensive anchors like DeForest Buckner and Sauce Gardner were out. Braden Smith, their starting right tackle, was sidelined.
And oh yeah - their quarterback? None other than 44-year-old Philip Rivers, who came out of retirement earlier this week and hadn’t taken a snap in nearly five years.
Yet there he was, leading a depleted Colts team into one of the NFL’s toughest environments, behind a patchwork offensive line that was starting two backup tackles for much of the second half. And for most of the game, they didn’t just hang around - they controlled the tempo.
The Colts leaned heavily on their ground game, handing the ball to Jonathan Taylor 25 times for 87 hard-earned yards. It wasn’t flashy, but it was effective.
They stuck to a short, methodical passing attack, working the middle of the field and playing smart, low-risk football. Rivers, even with a diminished arm, executed the plan with the kind of precision and poise you’d expect from a veteran who’s seen just about everything in the league.
He finished the game 18-of-27 for 120 yards and a touchdown. His lone interception came on a desperation heave in the final seconds - a throw he had to make with the game on the line.
But before that, he was steady, accurate, and decisive, especially on a late second-quarter drive that ended with a touchdown pass to Josh Downs. That moment - a grandfather slinging a touchdown in an NFL game after nearly five years away - was one of the most surreal highlights of the season.
Rivers' physical tools may not be what they once were, but his mind is still elite. His pre-snap reads were sharp, and he consistently got the ball out quickly to avoid pressure. Even when throws were contested, he kept the offense on schedule and avoided the kind of back-breaking mistakes that could’ve sunk a team this shorthanded.
On the other side of the ball, the Colts' defense delivered a gutsy performance. Facing one of the league’s most potent offenses, they stood tall and kept Seattle out of the end zone all night.
That’s not a typo - the Seahawks were held to six field goals. No touchdowns.
That’s a testament to the Colts' resilience, their scheme, and the sheer will of a unit that refused to fold, even as injuries piled up.
But in the end, it wasn’t quite enough.
After Grupe’s 60-yarder gave Indy the lead, a short kickoff gave Seattle a boost in field position. The Colts’ secondary, already stretched thin, couldn’t hold up on the final drive. Jason Myers stepped up and nailed a 56-yard game-winner with 18 seconds left, sealing an 18-16 win for the Seahawks and breaking the hearts of a Colts team that had done just about everything right.
It was a gut punch - no doubt about it. But it was also a performance that showed exactly what this Colts team is made of.
Despite the loss, there’s nothing hollow about what they put on the field. The coaching staff had the team ready.
The players executed. The effort was there from start to finish.
And for a team missing so many key contributors, they nearly pulled off the unthinkable.
There’s no miracle headline this week. No “Miracle on W. 56th Street.” But the Colts still have three games left, and if Rivers can keep steadying the ship the way he did in Seattle, this team might still have a few surprises left in them.
They came up just short of being the feel-good story of the weekend. But the fight?
That was real. And if this game was any indication, the Colts aren’t done swinging.