Life has been moving quickly for rookie quarterback Riley Leonard since he grabbed his helmet and ran onto the field to replace injured Indianapolis Colts starter Daniel Jones in Jacksonville last Sunday.
Leonard, a sixth-round pick, had thrown just two passes — both fourth-quarter misses against the Tennessee Titans on Oct. 26 — before Jones’ injury pushed him deep into a game with first place in the AFC South on the line.
“It’s very difficult, but that’s the nature of the game. Obviously your first thought is to pray for Daniel and hope he’s OK because that’s not how you envision getting snaps, right?” Leonard detailed after Sunday’s game. “I always imagine myself working and working and growing to become a starter, (a position) that I earned. Whether I earned it or not doesn’t matter. Daniel fell; my turn had come. It’s really unfortunate to see that, but I hope everything goes well. We’ll pray for him, that’s for sure.”
The Colts lost Jones and 2023 first-round pick Anthony Richardson is on injured reserve. So when Indianapolis lost Sunday’s game and Leonard limped out of the stadium on his knee, head coach Shane Steichen gave 44-year-old Philip Rivers a ring. Rivers was at the team facility Monday night and officially joined the practice squad, studying the call sheet for Week 15. He was going over calls, plays and checks for the game in Seattle with Leonard, who was born days after Rivers threw five touchdown passes on 10 completions against Navy as a junior at North Carolina State.
Both quarterbacks practiced Wednesday and Thursday.
Last week, Leonard played the final three quarters and rushed for a 6-yard touchdown. His touchdown pass to Michael Pittman Jr. was taken off the board following an offensive pass interference call, but he completed 18 of 29 passes for 145 yards with one interception.
Leonard remains optimistic about his first career start this week. Steichen, however, hasn’t ruled out turning to Rivers in his 245th career game, but first since 2021.
“As far as I know, I’m going to go out there and do my best,” Leonard said.
Steichen, a former Chargers assistant coach, joined Rivers for eight seasons, and they were in regular contact long after he joined the Philadelphia Eagles and took over as head coach for the first time with the Colts before last season.
When Steichen recounted how the call to Rivers came about, it was clear he was still a believer.
“He’s one of the most passionate players I’ve ever been around,” Steichen said. “The obsession with the game is off the charts.”
The Colts fell to 8-5 last week and have already lost to the Houston Texans (8-5) during the current three-game losing streak.
With four games left, Indianapolis has already entered “playoff mode” and the schedule is relentless starting with Seattle on Sunday. The Colts will be at home on Monday Night Football against the San Francisco 49ers (9-4) next week and close out the regular season in Houston on January 4.
–Field level media
