Philip Rivers is back. Well, sort of back.
After working out with the Colts earlier this week following a season-ending injury to starter Daniel Jones and an undisclosed injury to backup Riley Leonard, Rivers officially ended his retirement to sign with the Colts’ practice squad. But initially, it seemed Rivers was a contingency plan for the Colts, and that they were hopeful Leonard would be healthy enough to start.
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Now, Leonard apparently «feels great» and has participated in three consecutive practices as of Friday. But Colts head coach Shane Steichen, who worked with Rivers for six seasons with the Chargers, would not confirm whether or not he planned to start Rivers this weekend, increasing the likelihood that we may see the 44-year-old veteran lace up his cleats for the first time in nearly five years after retiring following the 2020 season.
«He’s got great command in the huddle. He was throwing it well. So we’re excited for it. He’s fired up for the challenge, getting back into it, getting back in the fold, feeling the pass rush. Got some good work in that,» Steichen said.
«I’ll say it was pretty good. A guy that hasn’t been out there in five years, to go and practice the way he did this week was pretty impressive to watch.»
Those sound like the words of a coach who is impressed with his quarterback, so maybe it’s not so crazy to think we’ll see Rivers this week. And if we do, it will be just in time to defend his spot on the NFL all-time passing yards list. You see, Rivers currently ranks seventh in career passing yards, with 63,440 yards. But behind him at number eight on the list is another active quarterback – Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford, with 63,163 yards.
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For those whose strong suit isn’t math, Stafford trails Rivers by just 277 yards. Stafford has thrown for that amount or more six times this season, including in last week’s win over Arizona, where he tallied 281 passing yards. So really, Stafford is one good game away from the record. But this all changes if Rivers gets playing time this weekend.
If Rivers is back in action, then this becomes a race. And what if Rivers does play, performs well, and is back next year? You see, Stafford is getting older as well, and is currently 37 and playing his 17th NFL season. Yes, he looks to be at the top of his game, but the body won’t hold out forever unless you’re Philip Rivers, apparently. So who is to say Stafford doesn’t end up trapped at eighth?
And for another fun fact, Rivers needs just 649 yards to surpass Ben Roethlisberger for sixth all-time on the list. So if Rivers does get rolling or comes back for another year, he might knock Big Ben down a rung on the ladder as well. And above Roethlisberger? Well, that’s current Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who passed the former Steelers signal caller at the beginning of this season.
This article originally appeared on Touchdown Wire: Can Philip Rivers fend off Matt Stafford on NFL career passing list?
