by: Nick Kosko 12 hours ago nickkosko59
The Indianapolis Colts will bench QB Philip Rivers and start rookie Riley Leonard in Week 18, per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. The Colts take on the Houston Texans and are out of the AFC playoff race.
Rivers returned after five years of being in retirement for the stretch run to try and salvage the Colts’ playoff hopes. After starter Daniel Jones was affected by injuries in his play, he was eventually hurt enough to be ruled out for the season.
After a 7-1 start, Indy has lost seven of their last eight games, including all three starts under Rivers. Now, Leonard will get a change to showcase his skills during the final game.
To be fair to Rivers, who reset his Pro Football Hall of Fame eligibility clock by returning, he had 544 yards, four touchdowns and three interceptions in his return over three games. Not bad for being out of the game for half of a decade.