A week ago, Philip Rivers shocked the NFL when he decided to work out with the Colts amid injuries to quarterbacks Daniel Jones and Riley Leonard. Rivers, who had not played a game since the 2020-21 playoffs, not only signed with the Colts, but also started for them in their narrow loss to the Seahawks on Sunday.
In Rivers’s first game back in nearly five years, the 44-year-old grandpa went 18-of-27 for 120 yards, one touchdown and one pick while coming up just short of leading the Colts to a major upset over the Seahawks. While the Colts unsurprisingly took the weight off Rivers’s shoulders by calling plenty of runs and short passes, he did a nice job executing the offense and giving them a real chance in the game.
Colts coach Shane Steichen confirmed the following day that Rivers will start again next week, when Indianapolis takes on the 49ers on Monday Night Football.
Ahead of the game, 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan shared that he spoke to Rivers shortly after he decided to come back.
"I was telling him how cool it was that he was coming back,” Shanahan said, via Vic Tafur of The Athletic. “... and then I remember we were playing him in 10 days and I told him what a bad idea it was."
Per Tafur, Shanahan also noted he was impressed by Rivers’s play and toughness against the Seahawks, and that Rivers gives Indianapolis a chance to win.
Notably, the 49ers considered bringing Rivers out of retirement back in 2022 for the postseason as quarterbacks Trey Lance, Jimmy Garoppolo, Brock Purdy and Josh Johnson all suffered injuries during the season and/or NFC championship game. The 49ers ended up falling to the Eagles in the NFC title game, keeping them from potentially calling on Rivers for the Super Bowl.
Instead, this game will mark the second time that Rivers has taken on the 49ers since Shanahan became the team’s head coach in 2017. They previously faced off in 2018, with Rivers and the Chargers winning 29-27.
The 49ers will be favored this time around. With the 49ers looking to clinch a playoff berth and the Colts trying to keep their slim postseason hopes alive, it should be a hard-fought battle between two injury-plagued teams at Lucas Oil Stadium. Fortunately for Rivers, one of the 49ers’ weaknesses is their pass rush so his lack of mobility shouldn’t hamper him too much—unless he ends up slipping on the turf again untouched.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Kyle Shanahan Had Funny Message to Philip Rivers Ahead of NFL Return.