The Colts paid quarterback Philip Rivers $25 million for 2020. So for how much of 2020 will he be the Colts quarterback?
It started well in Week One, with the Indy offense shredding the Jacksonville defense on a drive that featured Rivers throwing the ball to wide-open receivers and the running game clicking. But the Jaguars outscored Indianapolis 27-13 the rest of the way to score one of the biggest upsets of the day.
On one hand, the Colts Offense clicked; they didn’t punt at all. On the other hand, Rivers threw a pair of ugly interceptions that will serve only as a reminder that Rivers had way too many of them in 2019. (He got away with a third ugly pick, thanks to a defensive holding penalty that wiped out a ball Rivers threw directly to K’Lavon Chaisson.)
The first pick wobbled directly toward the defender on the third drive of the game. It gave the Jaguars the ball at the Indianapolis 27, and it resulted in the Jaguars tying the game at seven. The second came in the fourth quarter, with the game still in the balance. Until it wasn’t.
Rivers completed 36 of 46 passes in the opener, and he had plenty of great throws. On a third and seven from their own 28, for example, Rivers launched a mini-rainbow to Parris Campbell while getting hit.
The question is whether the Colts will accept the bad with the good. With Rivers, it now seems inevitable that there will be at some point a bad throw, a bad decision, a bad something among what otherwise remains very good. Whether that’s good enough may depend on whether the Colts can still emerge from such games with victories.
Complicating the question is the presence on the depth chart of Jacoby Brissett, who makes $15 million per year and who led the team to a 5-2 start before suffering a knee injury in 2019.
Brissett got a cameo appearance on second and goal in the second quarter. He was sacked quickly on a play-action pass. Against the Vikings, will Brissett see more than one play? More importantly, will Rivers throw fewer than two interceptions?
In December against the Vikings, Rivers threw three of them. In Week One, Minnesota’s defense seemed to be a far cry from what it was last year. Whether he can minimize the bad and maximize the good against a good defense that played badly last week surely will influence whether and to what extent the Colt consider giving Brissett something more than a courtesy snap.
After today, the schedule softens through the Week Seven bye, with plenty of games the Colts should win or come close to winning (Jets, Bears, Browns, Bengals). The Colts get the Lions in Week Eight before a challenging second half commences: Two against the Titans, two against the Texans, Packers, Steelers, Jaguars again, and Raiders.
The bottom line for the Colts is that they need to rack up the wins before the storm arrives in early November. The bottom line for Rivers is that, the more he can minimize the interceptions on his stat sheet, the less likely the Colts will be to consider making what they originally considered to be a one-year experiment into a less-than-one-year experiment.
If there is a first round HOF candidate QB who’s skills have deteriorated it’s Rivers. Even Eli had more in the tank but the Giants wanted to play the new guy because they knew that they had a rebuild going on
It was a bad signing.
So was the Jacoby Brissett extension.
Its a one year rental, then he’s gone.
If they go back to Brissett then how can the GM and HC not be in serious hot water?
The GM overpaid Brissett on a contract he didn’t need to.
Then he brought in Rivers.
What a colossal waste of money.
Sure he had 2 INTs, but he was 36-46 for 363 yards, which are both nice and top 5 for week 1. I hardly think the Colts loss was his fault. The defense is supposed to be top ranked, they were not in week 1.
The answer will be today. Since the Vikings has a young secondary he should go off.
Rivers career is all about looking great at times but always having enough turnovers to lose.
I have watched his career very closely. Often does just enough bad to lose. To throw those 3 picks at this point of his career is unacceptable. Staring down receivers, throwing into double and triple coverage- maddening and I’m not a fan of the Chargers or the Colts.
Good Lord, just stop it.
1 game with a new team and no preseason. Look at the stats. Other than the 2 picks, he had a hell of a game. The defense lost that one.
I think that Andy Dalton was a better fit for the type of offense that Indy runs. Rivers is reckless and irresponsible with the ball in critical moments.
SOURCE: https://www.w24news.com
