Colts Have Laid Groundwork for Philip Rivers, Whose Career is Continual Contrast of Numbers

The NFL's seventh-ranked rushing offense has added a powerful running back to go with an O-line that didn't have a missed start in 2019 and returns intact. Everything is set up for new quarterback Philip Rivers to rebound with the Indianapolis Colts, providing he can be efficient and not revert to his gunslinger tendency for risky throws.

INDIANAPOLIS — The Indianapolis Colts’ offensive blueprint with quarterback Philip Rivers couldn’t be more clear.

But will a strong rushing game and solid offensive line protection — what the passer didn’t have with the L.A. Chargers — bring out the best in Rivers?

Questions about Rivers won’t go away because he’s quite the dichotomy when analyzing his career — some numbers are quite impressive and others leave a lot to be desired. Which should be most defining is anyone’s best guess.

Let’s start with the reality that he’s 38 and entering his 17th NFL season. That prompts critics to suggest he’s an aging passer with diminishing arm strength. Reich isn’t buying that after watching game film.

“Even though I don’t think Philip has lost anything physically, I really think he’s the same player he was five years ago physically and he’s taken good care of his body,” Reich said Monday on a Zoom video conference call. “I just think he’s at a stage in his career where it’s just – this is the right thing, this is a great move for him. He’s a great fit for us and I think he’s going to welcome playing behind this offensive line, handing the ball off more and not have to throw it 35 times a game to win.”

Rivers didn’t have an O-line with the Chargers, who used seven different line combinations and allowed Rivers to be sacked 34 times in 2019. The Colts were the only NFL team without a missed start on the O-line, and it's the same group that provided quarterback Andrew Luck with the best protection of his career in 2018.

Because it’s in Rivers’ gunslinging nature to take shots as opposed to playing it safe, he forced throws and ended up with 20 interceptions. Only Jameis Winston had more. ChargerReport’s Jason B. Hirschhorn points out that Rivers could have had eight more interceptions that were dropped.

Reich has conceded Rivers must cut down on those risky throws. The coach reiterates the Rivers plan is all about “less is more.” When Rivers has attempted 30 or fewer passes in a game, he’s 68-20 (.773).

The Colts are convinced they can help Rivers regain his form of 2018, when he had 32 touchdown passes versus 12 interceptions and made his eighth Pro Bowl. That starts on the ground, where the Colts ranked seventh in rushing offense and drafted running back Jonathan Taylor in the second round to team up with fourth-year pro Marlon Mack, who had a career-high 1,091 yards rushing last season. Rivers has had only one 1,000-yard rusher in the past eight seasons.

Reich and Colts offensive coordinator Nick Sirianni, when they were Chargers assistants, worked well with Rivers from 2013-15.

“I didn’t see their stats in ’18, but I think when they went 12-4 with him playing quarterback, (and) I think they ran it pretty well,” Reich said. “There’s no question that he has been at his best when the run game has been good. Even in ‘13 when we first got there, when Nick and I were first there – I was the quarterbacks coach in ‘13 and (Rivers) had statistically one of his better years and we ran the ball well that year in ’13.

“He’s always been great in the pass game, but there’s I don’t think any doubt that he’s been most efficient and played his best football when he has a good run game.

Rivers had 32 TDs passes and just 11 interceptions in 2013. It’s worth pointing out that he’s shown he can take care of the ball — he’s had 13 or fewer interceptions in eight seasons.

L.A. Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers had 23 TD passes with 20 interceptions in 2019 :: Robert Hanashiro/USA TODAY Sports

Keep in mind, though, Reich’s assertion before 2019 that quarterback Jacoby Brissett is a “top-20” NFL quarterback. One 7-9 season later, after injuries piled up and Brissett’s lack of vision and aggressiveness to throw down the field led to seven losses in the last nine games, Brissett is back to being a $21.375-million backup.

General manager Chris Ballard bought into the Rivers plan by paying the quarterback $25 million for 2020, then using second-round draft selections on USC wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. and Taylor to surround Rivers with more offensive weapons.

Offseason preparations, although reduced to remote communication because NFL facilities have been locked down in response to the Coronavirus pandemic, have been progressing well with Rivers, who was already familiar with roughly 85 percent of the Colts playbook. It’s basically the same stuff Reich and Sirianni used with the Chargers.

“Philip, just because of our existing relationship with Nick and I – it’s literally like riding a bike,” Reich said. “We’re laughing and joking about how it’s just like we’ve been together the whole time. A very quick re-acclimation to that. We know what Philip likes. Philip kind of knows how we think, but at the same time, we’ve brought some new things. He’s brought some new things. That’s been fun. It’s been exciting to hear some of the things that he’s learned over the last few years and he’s been equally as eager to hear kind of what we’ve learned over the last few years as well.”

What Rivers and the Colts must improve upon is finishing. Well, that could be considered an understatement.

The Chargers were 2-9 in games decided by one touchdown or less last season. One of those wins came in overtime against the Colts in the season opener. The Colts struggled in this area, too, with a 5-6 mark in games decided by one touchdown or less.

That’s been a knock on Rivers throughout his career. He's lost 63 one-score games, a dubious NFL record for quarterbacks in the Super Bowl era, according to ESPN.

Can’t forget that number? Yeah, it’s a bit larger than 32 game-winning drives.

Rivers is often mentioned as having numbers worthy of Pro Football Hall of Fame consideration. His 59,271 passing yards rank sixth all-time, and he needs 2,091 to pass Hall of Famer Dan Marino for fifth. His 397 career TD passes also rank sixth, 23 behind Marino.

But Rivers has never been to a Super Bowl, reached only one AFC title game, and is 4-4 in the playoffs. Two of those wins came against the Colts.

That’s why, when also factoring in Rivers’ record in close games, some suggest his career could be defined by coming up just short.

Perhaps being with the Colts can modestly improve that legacy. And then again, perhaps not.

(Phillip B. Wilson has covered the Indianapolis Colts for more than two decades and authored the 2013 book 100 Things Colts Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die. He’s on Twitter @pwilson24, on Facebook at @allcoltswithphilb and @100thingscoltsfans, and his email is phillipbwilson24@yahoo.com.)