Colts star says 'overlooked' part of Philip Rivers' return makes him confident in 44-year-old QB

All signs constituent to 44-year-old Philip Rivers starting for the Indianapolis Colts successful his archetypal NFL crippled since the 2020 play Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks. 

While the Colts and their instrumentality basal didn't person that connected their bingo paper this season, it's the world aft Daniel Jones sustained a season-ending Achilles wounded and arsenic rookie Riley Leonard deals with a genu ailment this week. 

Rivers joins a Colts squad gunning for an AFC playoffs seed, sitting 1 crippled backmost of the AFC South pb down the Jacksonville Jaguars, who they mislaid to successful Week 14. As it stands today, the Colts are No. 8 successful the AFC, and lone 7 teams marque it from each conference.

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Indianapolis Colts backmost Philip Rivers (17) warms up Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2025, during signifier astatine the Colts grooming halfway successful Indianapolis. (Imagn)

So, portion immoderate uncertainty Rivers, the 17-year vet who ranks seventh successful all-time NFL passing yards, tin get the occupation done for Indy, 1 of his receivers from the 2020 play believes helium can. 

Michael Pittman Jr.'s archetypal NFL backmost was Rivers aft helium joined the Colts during the 2020 season, erstwhile the signal-caller led the squad to an 11-5 record. After seeing him backmost successful the gathering this week, Pittman couldn't assistance but picture Rivers arsenic idiosyncratic who inactive has "that aforesaid fire."

"Phil is the aforesaid guy," Pittman said, portion discussing his concern with Oral-B, the authoritative toothbrush of the NFL. "I truly don’t announcement overmuch quality from our 2020 season, and he’s fired up. He’s acceptable to go. So, I don’t cognize what’s going to happen. I don’t truly deliberation anybody does, but we’re going to beryllium acceptable for immoderate transpires."

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It makes consciousness Rivers would person his just stock of doubters. He hasn't seen NFL enactment successful 5 seasons, and helium was ne'er the astir mobile backmost anyway, which helium joked astir during his media league Wednesday. 

But Pittman believes shot fans are overlooking a cardinal facet of this. Colts caput manager Shane Steichen's discourtesy was calved with the San Diego Chargers earlier they moved to LA.

"When you look backmost astatine it, Philip truly helped invent this violative strategy if you spell backmost to Shane’s past and erstwhile helium was a young coach," Pittman explained, referencing Steichen's six years arsenic the Chargers' quarterbacks manager alongside Rivers. "He truly came up successful that aforesaid discourtesy Philip has been moving his full career. 

"If we’re going to spell get a guy, and that’s what radical are overlooking. This discourtesy was made by Philip Rivers, truthful that’s wherefore he’s 1 of the cleanable guys to spell retired and get. His caput is truthful sharp, and he’s inactive got that aforesaid fire."

Michael Pittman Jr. (11) of the Indianapolis Colts celebrates with backmost Philip Rivers (17) during a against the Las Vegas Raiders Dec. 13, 2020, successful Las Vegas. (Cooper Neill/Getty Images)

Rivers' cerebral processing connected the tract has ever been stout, which is wherefore helium lasted truthful agelong successful the league. But that interior thrust and hunger for contention is what Pittman is besides seeing aboriginal connected successful practice. 

"He said the connection ‘stinkin’’probably 100 times erstwhile helium was giving his speech, and I could conscionable archer that helium truly cares," Pittman said, laughing. "He wouldn’t reset his Hall of Fame if helium didn’t really, truly attraction astir this."

Of course, Rivers' patented "Dadgummit!" isn't what Pittman wants to perceive implicit the adjacent 4 games if the Colts play him astatine quarterback. It was thing Pittman admitted proceeding a batch his rookie year, but he's developed into the endowment galore thought helium would beryllium successful the NFL. 

We'll spot if the Colts marque it authoritative aboriginal this week, but Pittman couldn't beryllium much assured successful Rivers if helium gets the call. 

Indianapolis Colts backmost Philip Rivers (17) drops backmost to walk Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2025, during signifier astatine the Colts' grooming analyzable successful Indianapolis. (IMAGN)

PERFECT CLEAN, PERFECT GAME

Pittman teamed up with Oral-B, which was precocious named the authoritative toothbrush of the NFL, and helium changeable immoderate amusive contented with beloved Colts mascot Blue.

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Pittman and Blue were trying to get their pearly whites cleanable with the caller iO Series Electric Toothbrush, and though Blue is known for his moving belly during games, helium had a elephantine acceptable of teeth to get close earlier the crippled arsenic well.

As idiosyncratic who ne'er strays from his crippled time routine, it starts with brushing his teeth earlier thing other successful the morning.

"The grin is everything," Pittman said. "Oral-B being the authoritative toothbrush of the NFL, I conscionable felt similar it was a cleanable spouse due to the fact that they springiness you the cleanable cleanable truthful you tin play the cleanable crippled with their IO Series toothbrush they conscionable came retired with. It does each the enactment for you, truthful it couldn’t beryllium easier."

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