No, it\u2019s not 2020. Philip Rivers is back \u2014 and potentially starting \u2014 in the NFL on Sunday.<\/p>\n
The Indianapolis Colts sent shockwaves across the league<\/a> when they signed the 44-year-old quarterback to their practice squad in hopes of saving their season. Rivers last played for the Colts in 2020 before retiring from a decorated career after that season.<\/p>\n Rivers going from coaching on the sidelines at St. Michael Catholic High School in Alabama to potentially facing a ferocious Seattle Seahawks defense fascinates our NFL writers Mike Sando, Jeff Howe and Zak Keefer.<\/p>\n A clash between two of the league\u2019s best teams in the Green Bay Packers (9-3-1) and Denver Broncos (11-2) also intrigues our writers in this week\u2019s roundtable, as both teams have a shot at another signature win and the top seed in their respective conferences.<\/p>\n And while other games have bigger playoff stakes than Cleveland Browns-Chicago Bears, Caleb Williams vs. Shedeur Sanders is certainly worth watching.<\/p>\n Read more below.<\/p>\n The Colts actually signed Philip Rivers to the practice squad. What are your general thoughts? Can he actually help vs. the Seahawks\u2019 defense on the road? If he starts Sunday, is that even smart?<\/p>\n Sando: Desperate times call for desperate measures. Rivers is not going to be a consistently good QB at this stage of his life. However, he can be a calming influence and a great resource for a team rocked by losing its starting quarterback during a promising season. His signing shows the locker room that the coach and general manager are doing all they can. I think Rivers will have a very hard time in the games, especially the longer he is out there.<\/p>\n Howe: I didn\u2019t think the Colts would be able to survive this final stretch if Daniel Jones were healthy, so I\u2019m not optimistic Rivers will change anything after a five-year layoff. This isn\u2019t like riding a bike. At least, I\u2019ve never ridden a bike while Leonard Williams tried hitting me at full speed. It\u2019s a fun story, but I don\u2019t think Disney will be buying the rights.<\/p>\n Keefer: To me, this is very much two things: a valiant attempt to save what was once such a promising season, and secondly, a desperate move that\u2019ll backfire spectacularly. In one sense, I can\u2019t knock the Colts. They\u2019ve still got a chance to make the playoffs for the first time in five years \u2014 coincidentally, the last time Rivers was their quarterback \u2014 and to sit on their hands and wave the white flag would be a slap in the face to guys like Zaire Franklin, Jonathan Taylor and Quenton Nelson. But let\u2019s be real. A 44-year-old Rivers against one of the nastiest defenses in the league? This will get ugly.<\/p>\n Sunday is a huge opportunity for Drake Maye (vs. Bills) and Matthew Stafford (vs. Lions) to make a statement in the MVP race, which still feels open. Is it a two-man race between these QBs? Who else is in the mix, in your opinion? How does this year\u2019s MVP race differ from others we\u2019ve seen recently?<\/p>\n Sando: Josh Allen can become the betting favorite as early as Monday if he has a monster game for the Bills in a victory over the Patriots. It\u2019s not such a stretch to think that will happen. So, it\u2019s only a two-man race at the moment. We produced a video on this very subject that was published Friday. Check it out<\/a>.<\/p>\n Howe: I\u2019ve got Stafford in the lead for now, but Maye will sway me with a big stretch against the Bills and Ravens. Allen could still get involved, primarily because he\u2019s got to play perfectly far too often to give the Bills a chance. Sam Darnold has a chance, too, if he can lead the Seahawks past the Rams next week. Don\u2019t rule out Jordan Love if the Packers finish strong. This year\u2019s race is more wide open with new blood than past seasons. Last year was all about Allen and Lamar Jackson, and Patrick Mahomes ran away with it in 2023. There\u2019s been a big-time flavor of the week element this season with Baker Mayfield, Jared Goff, Justin Herbert, Jones and Taylor entering the conversation earlier this season.<\/p>\n Keefer: Allen remains, to me, the best football player in the world. A statement win over Maye and the Patriots on Sunday pushes him in front. Maye\u2019s been excellent, no doubt, but no team in the league is as dependent, week-to-week, on one player quite like the Bills. I\u2019m also with Jeff when it comes to Love. The Packers are suddenly looking like Super Bowl contenders, and if they unseat the Rams as the NFC\u2019s top seed, he could climb into the conversation quickly.<\/p>\n Packers-Broncos features two teams in the hunt for the No. 1 seed in their respective conferences. This could be the week\u2019s best game. Who makes the biggest difference?<\/p>\n Sando: Green Bay lost against the two best defenses it faced, those of Cleveland and Philadelphia (I put their Minnesota game in another bucket because it\u2019s a divisional matchup where familiarity matters more). As much as we all know, Denver\u2019s great record does not align with its so-so point differential. Have the Packers proven they can score against good defenses? I think this might be the game where it happens, but it\u2019s more gut feel than anything.<\/p>\n Howe: This has to be a Love game. The Packers have won four in a row to make this an important game, and it\u2019s going to be a challenge to win in Denver against a quality defense. But Love is clearly the better of the two quarterbacks, and he has to play like it. If the Packers can avoid another sleepy start and keep Love in rhythm, they should be able to reassert themselves as Super Bowl contenders. I want to see if Love can play the game on his terms against an unfamiliar opponent.<\/p>\n Keefer: Christian Watson has been the difference-maker for the Packers the last few weeks. His return has added an explosive element to the Green Bay offense that was lacking midseason \u2014 remember the two-game losing streak in which they scored a total of 20 points? The Packers have scored 59 in their last two against the Lions and Bears. I like Green Bay in this one, and I like Love outplaying Bo Nix.<\/p>\n