Philip Rivers was a nice story for a couple of games. But he was never going to be the savior as the Colts' losing streak stretches to six games

The Rivers comeback kept us interested down the stretch, but by Sunday, the collapse -- with a lot of extenuating circumstances -- was complete.

If this is it for Philip Rivers, if Sunday’s 23-17 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars marked the last time he’ll take a snap from center in an NFL game, the 44-year-old grandpa walks away with no regrets. Sure, it would have made for a more inspiring story had Rivers saved the Colts’ spiraling season, if he had come back and turned back the clock and made the kinds of throws he used to make during his Chargers days and his one terrific year with the Colts. But that was simply too much to ask – especially against Seattle, San Francisco and Jacksonville, three teams in the throes of long winning streaks.

After the game, Shane Steichen said he would decide Tuesday on a starting quarterback for Sunday’s game at Houston, but I’ve got to think his mind is made up. At this point, it makes all the sense in the world to start Riley Leonard after a week in which he is expected to get reps with the starters during practice. (I don’t get the sense that Anthony Richardson, who still is suffering from some vision loss, will get an opportunity next week).

However Steichen decides to play Week 18, the fact remains: Rivers gave it all he had, made himself and his family and his St. Michael Catholic High School players proud. His arrival also gave Colts fans a reason to care, even as the season circled the drain with six consecutive losses and seven losses in eight games. Rivers said later that he felt Sunday’s game was the worst of the three he played this season, but twice in three games, he gave the Colts a chance to win, and in the other game, a loss to San Francisco, the defense completely imploded and didn’t force the Niners to punt even once.

Against Jacksonville, Rivers finished 17-of-30 for 147 yards, one touchdown and one hurtful interception late in the game. The Colts, who hung in this game by forcing two red-zone turnovers and a turnover on downs at the Indy 24-yard line, just didn’t have enough offense to fully threaten the Jags, who’ve now won seven games in a row and have a chance to secure the AFC South crown next Sunday. Indy managed just 204 yards of offense, a 4.1 yards-per-play average. Not good enough. Not nearly.

After 10 games, the Colts were headed toward the No. 1 seed. Now, they’ve become the first team in 30 years to start 8-2 and fail to make the playoffs, sharing that ignominious stat with the 1995 Raiders. On paper, it was a complete collapse, but it hasn’t happened without extenuating circumstances. The bottom began to fall out after Daniel Jones fractured a bone in his fibula against the Atlanta Falcons in Berlin, an injury that limited his mobility in the pocket. For several weeks, he was a sitting duck. Then came the Achilles tear in Jacksonville, and without Richardson as a backup – the result of a terrible eye injury – and the die was cast. A couple of one-possession losses and the bottom fell out.

Bringing back Rivers was an inspired idea – outlandish but inspired. Who would have thought a 44-year-old could get off the couch and lead an NFL team after five years of coaching his high school team down in Fairhope, Ala.?

“If this was the last (game I’ll play), shoot, like I told you guys, I wouldn’t have any regrets about coming back and I don’t,” Rivers said. “Other than us not winning, right? It’s been an absolute blast for three weeks. I wouldn’t go back and say, `All right now, you know everything that’s going to happen’…I’d do it all again. It’s been absolutely awesome. So, I mean, if it’s the last one, it’s the last one. I thought the last one was walking off the field in Buffalo (after the 2020 Colts playoff loss to the Bills) and I was fine with that. There were tears those few days after, but I was at peace with that being the last one. So certainly, if it is (my last game), I got three bonus games that I never saw coming and couldn’t be more thankful that I got the opportunity.”

So, Rivers was asked, when the season ends next weekend, will you be completely retired from NFL football? Might there be another opportunity next season and beyond? Or is he retired retired, like, for good.