Just a few weeks ago, the Indianapolis Colts were rolling.
Quarterback Daniel Jones was in early MVP conversations, the Colts were 8-2 heading into their bye, and appeared headed for an AFC South championship and a playoff run.
Since then, the Colts have lost four in a row coming off that bye week, Jones was revealed to be playing on a broken fibula, and subsequently tore his Achilles' tendon in the other leg in the loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars.
On top of that, backup quarterback and rookie Riley Leonard suffered a knee injury in that game, making Indianapolis' signal-caller situation quite dire. The only quarterback left on the roster was Brett Rypien, whom they elevated from the practice squad after Jones and Leonard's injuries.
And then it got weirder.
Indy brought in 44-year-old Philip Rivers for a tryout, signed him to the practice squad, and then to the active roster. He started in Sunday's loss to the Seattle Seahawks, throwing the only touchdown of an 18-16 contest.
Yesterday, Indianapolis head coach Shane Steichen announced that Rivers, whose start against the Hawks reset his Hall of Fame candidacy after being named a semifinalist this year, would remain the starter on Monday Night Football against the San Francisco 49ers.
This is a twist that not one person saw coming, considering Rivers hadn't played a snap of football since the Colts' playoff loss at Buffalo in January of 2021. Rivers completed just 58.7 percent of his passes that day, but tossed two touchdowns, but it wasn't enough for Indianapolis to come back from a 24-10 second half deficit.
Kyle Shanahan and the Niners' coaching staff are obviously familiar with Rivers, and they were hoping he'd come out of retirement in 2023 if they had survived the NFC Championship game against the Philadelphia Eagles when Brock Purdy tore his UCL.
But this type of gap between games is almost unheard of, and it might open the door for San Francisco to continue its winning streak against a weakened Colts roster.
Rivers wasn't terribly efficient against Seattle on Sunday, finishing 18-of-27 for 120 yards and the aforementioned touchdown. He also took one sack and threw an interception that sealed the game for the Seahawks.
Sunday's game showed a quarterback who might still have the mental element of the game working, but whose body might not be able to get the job done, especially in terms of arm strength. According to NFL Next Gen Stats, Rivers' completion percentage over expected was minus-0.2, with his average depth of target just a little over 5 yards, above only five quarterbacks from Week 15.
This, combined with his lack of mobility, should allow the 49ers defensive line to stay in its lanes and control the pocket, something Jones and even Leonard would make more difficult.
None of this means that the Colts cannot win the game. It's a primetime home bout for them, and they'll be looking to stop their losing streak that has them on the outside, looking in for the playoffs.
But Philip Rivers starting at quarterback for the Colts gives the Niners an opportunity to key in on other parts of the Colts offense, and, by extension, dominate the game.