A Rivers Runs Through It, Part Deux*

 (*Not a play this time)

And now the Blob alert you've all been eagerly awaiting, the Fat Old Guy Update, in which the Indianapolis Colts experiment with a 44-year-old, kinda out-of-shape Philip Rivers as their starting quarterback, at least for one game:

1. The Colts lost, 18-16, but it took a 56-yard field goal with 29 seconds left for the 11-3  Seahawks to beat them in Seattle.

2. Philip Rivers got through the game without pieces of him falling off ... without saying "OK, kids, you've worn Grandpa out" and heading for the couch ... and without filing a Medicare claim.

3. Rivers, in fact, threw a touchdown pass. And was sacked only once. And completed 18-of-27 passes for a modest 120 yards -- a 73.1 passer rating. 

Think about that for a minute.

Philip Rivers, 44 years old and gone from the NFL for five years, stepped into the Colts lineup after just a week to shake off the rust and played as well or better than a lot of guys 15 or 20 years younger who do this every week.

That touchdown pass he threw, for instance, happened against one of the best defenses in the NFL. Same deal with the one sack he took. And this after five years of chucking the ball around in the backyard with his kids.

I don't know about you, but that just elevated Philip Rivers -- who actually became eligible for the Pro Football Hall of Fame this year -- from HOFer to first-ballot HOFer.

I mean, do you understand how ridiculous it is, what Rivers just did? How damn near impossible?

Do you know who had worse passer ratings than he did Sunday?

Patrick Mahomes, for one.

Joe Burrow, for another.

Drake Maye, who went into Sunday as perhaps the frontrunner for league MVP.

Ridiculous. Impossible.

And if you're still laughing at the Colts for bringing him as a stopgap (guilty) ... if you're still turning him into a one-act comedy (guilty, again) ... it's time to apologize.

So, OK. I apologize, Philip Rivers. 

You da man. You are most definitely Da Man.