Fact Check: Did Philip Rivers Punch a Bird During an NFL Game?

Philip Rivers has been added to the Indianapolis Colts’ practice squad and has every chance to play in 2025. He would become just the fifth QB in NFL history to start a game at the age of 44. He may also be the first player to return to the league while simultaneously being a Pro Football Hall of Fame semifinalist, which he is for the 2026 class.

While it remains to be seen how he will perform on the field after a half-decade away, his unique quirks are sure to entertain. Fiercely religious, Rivers would never be caught using a curse word on the field, but he was still one of the biggest trash talkers of all time, especially for a quarterback.

He always seemed to be looking for a tussle, but in the funniest way possible. And when he was mic’d up, it was a pleasure for all. But did his prickly nature extend beyond just opponents to—god forbid—animals too?

Claim: Philip Rivers once punched a bird while celebrating a touchdown during a Monday night game back in 2015.

Source of Claim: In a video that went viral online back in the day and has resurfaced again, Rivers was seen punching something flying through the air after a touchdown during a 2015 game. The internet quickly ran with the idea that what he punched was a bird. Here’s the video:

Remember the time Philip Rivers punched a bird out of the sky during a game pic.twitter.com/OCf3OB45aM

— PFT Commenter (@PFTCommenter) December 9, 2025

 

Verdict: Well, this mystery was solved almost immediately. And what really happened wasn’t nearly as dramatic as Rivers punching a bird out of the sky mid-flight. Which, while awful, would still have been a begrudgingly impressive feat.

No, it was not a bird Rivers punched. It was nothing but the glove he wore on his non-throwing hand that he’d thrown up and was punching for emphasis after throwing a touchdown for his San Diego Chargers in what ended as a 24-20 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 5 of the 2015 season. Rivers finished that game with 365 yards, two TDs, and an INT.

His punching victim being his glove rather than an innocent fowl means that if Rivers does the unthinkable and actually plays in Week 15 against the Seattle Seahawks, the birds of the Pacific Northwest will have nothing to be worried about.

Well, not from Philip Rivers, at least.