At 44 years of age, it was almost impossible for Indianapolis Colts fans to expect much from a returning Philip Rivers. His 0-2 start may serve as a bit of foreshadowing for Indy in the postseason, but the true surprise resides in Rivers attempting to call all of the shots, or at least that’s what some appear to be suggesting.
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Rivers was somehow able to complete 23 of his 35 pass attempts for a total of 277 passing yards and two touchdowns against the San Francisco 49ers in Week 16. He may have thrown an interception in the process, but the result was still an individual performance for both his age and the ages. The veteran QB was rightfully upset that his team would still go on to lose the game, so much so that some fans seemed to have derived the wrong message from his post-game interview.
Claim: After the Colts’ 48-27 loss to the 49ers, Rivers suggested that the franchise would be better off without the services of its defensive coordinator, Lou Anarumo. In proclaiming his confidence in the Colts’ offense to “move the ball,” as well as the fact that “our job is to score more points than the other team, whatever that may be,” many seemed to believe that Rivers was taking a direct shot at his latest DC.
Source of the rumor: Rivers made an appearance at the post-game press conference podium, where he addressed several members of both local and national media. Clearly frustrated by the fact that he has yet to win since his return to the gridiron, his assessment of the situation was clearly more driven by emotion than anything else.
Verdict: While Rivers’ speech was a fiery one, he never once called for the dismissal of Anarumo in any way. In fact, the former Los Angeles Charger plainly stated that,
“I know this locker room is hurting again. I’ve been part of it for a short time, two losses, and I know it’s been a long slide now for over a month. I know that’s tough because I’ve been part of those slides. We’ve just got to find a way to dig deep and find a way to win a football game.”
And, what about the “firing video?” It was AI-generated. The manufactured video released by Dangerous AI circulated a fake press conference in which Rivers appeared to demand the firing of Anarumo. The video also claimed the defense made Brock Purdy look like Tom Brady. Previously, Dangerous AI has uploaded several fake AI-generated videos, including one of Travis Kelce announcing his retirement.
Rivers was likely more aware of the depleted nature of the Colts’ defense ahead of this one, so it’s hard to imagine a world in which he’s calling for the firing of a defensive coordinator, one that he will not even be tied to in just a few months, simply because his defense was banged up. For as unfortunate as Monday night was for the city of Indianapolis, it’s safe to say that things aren’t quite bad enough to call for the firing of coaches and coordinators, at least not yet anyway.
