San Francisco 49ers fans remember how dire the club's quarterback situation was throughout the 2022 NFL campaign. First, it was Trey Lance, then Jimmy Garoppolo, the rise of Brock Purdy and a brief cameo from the ghost of veteran journeyman Josh Johnson.
One after another, they all fell. Lance suffered a fibula fracture and ligament damage and Garoppolo broke his foot. Purdy's improbable ascension was the stabilizer -- until he tore the UCL in his throwing (right) elbow in the NFC Championship game.
Despite the turmoil, the Niners impressively managed to get one game away from Super Bowl LVII.
However, head coach Kyle Shanahan and Co. weren't sure who'd be available for the Big Game because of the musical chairs they endured under center.
So, as the story goes, the 49ers explored fallback options to potentially come off the couch and lead them on football's grandest stage. Philip Rivers, who was retired at the time, was among the names mentioned.
But suddenly, he's back in their lives... only as the starter for the Indianapolis Colts, San Francisco's upcoming opponent.
49ers will get a close-up reminder of their Philip Rivers backup plan
Fast forward to 2025, the 49ers face the Rivers-led Colts on the road in a Week 16 interconference clash with massive playoff ramifications. Indy's sideline general, Shane Steichen, confirmed that he'll get another opportunity following his highly anticipated return from a nearly five-season hiatus against the Seattle Seahawks.
It still feels surreal that Rivers, who just turned age 44, is back in the league. He was 39 when deciding to hang up the cleats (or so we thought) in January 2021 and 41 years old when the Niners explored adding him.
Nevertheless, the 49ers got a glimpse of what could've been in Indy's 18-16 loss to the Seahawks, and it wasn't pretty. Seattle head coach Mike Macdonald highlighted the Colts' offensive limitations with Rivers postgame.
The Colts were forced to dink and dunk their way down the gridiron and lean heavily on a slow-paced rushing attack in Seattle. Rivers wasn't a threat to win with his arm, so Steichen took a conservative approach that made them one-dimensional and predictable.
Rivers completed 18 of 27 passes for just 120 yards, a touchdown and an interception. He averaged a measly 4.4 yards per attempt and a below-average 73.1 passer rating. His efforts, or lack thereof, should give the Niners some relief that they didn't have to break the emergency glass and call him back then.
But in case that wasn't enough, Shanahan and the Bay Area will get a close-up of the bullet they dodged long ago. Indianapolis finds itself in a similar position to the one the 49ers were when they considered Rivers.
Except the stakes aren't as high, and he's two years older and noticeably even further removed from taking the field.