After watching the Seattle Seahawks punch their ticket to the playoffs with an overtime win over the Los Angeles Rams, the San Francisco 49ers have a chance to secure a third postseason spot for the stacked NFC West in Week 16, where they will take on the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium.
On paper, that’s not the toughest ask, as the Colts have lost their last four games and have just a 12 percent chance of making the playoffs, according to ESPN. But in Week 15, Indianapolis added a new wrinkle to their offense that has made them among the more interesting teams in the NFL: Philip Rivers.
At 44, Rivers may be a grandfather, but he had the Colts mere plays away from a win in Week 15 despite a limited week of practice. Asked how it feels to face off against a player in Rivers who was a finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Kyle Shanahan noted he was very impressed with what Rivers brought to the table and isn’t taking the matchup lightly.
“I see, I mean, he is a little bit older, so might not quite be as fast, might not quite be able to throw it the same distance that he used to, but you don’t know that for sure because you don’t get to see it exactly on tape, but I see a guy who knows how to play the position as good as anyone,” Shanahan noted. “He had 27 throws in that game, and every ball goes to the exact right spot. He attacks their coverage is great. He played against a very good pass rush and was able to get rid of the ball. He’s one of the best quarterbacks I’ve ever watched, and he definitely helped that team.”
Asked how Rivers is able to be so athletically limited but still capable of playing at a high level, Shanahan revealed that at the NFL level, athleticism can only get a player so far. What really matters is getting rid of the ball quickly, which Rivers still excels at.
“Because when you go against defenses, like it’s very rare, especially, I mean, you just pick up Seattle last week. You’re not gonna run away from something like that. You don’t out-athlete ever a really good defense, very rarely, or you have to be, you know, so on an elite level like someone like Vick or, you know, Lamar or something like that, just athletically run away from teams. You got to be able to get rid of the ball, and to be able to get rid of the ball is, it’s a unique talent that doesn’t, just some people have it, and some people don’t,” Shanahan said.
“Whether it’s vision, whether it’s arm throwing angles, whether it’s mental processing, like whether it’s just your feel and clear mind in the pocket, but when things are moving fast at an elite level, you don’t, athletically, it’s really hard to get away from those guys. It’s about getting rid of the ball and letting someone else do it.”
Will the 49ers be able to secure a playoff spot at the Colts’ expense? Or will Rivers keep things interesting in the AFC? Fans will find out soon enough.
Kyle Shanahan’s assessment of 44-year-old Philip Rivers
(via @grantcohn)pic.twitter.com/or2ngOQyzj
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) December 19, 2025
The post Kyle Shanahan gives honest assessment of Colts QB Philip Rivers at 44 appeared first on ClutchPoints.
