The Indianapolis Colts nearly toppled the Seattle Seahawks on the road, but fell short in the final moments for an 18-16 loss that is critical to the playoff race for both sides.
Recently signed 44-year-old quarterback Philip Rivers produced the lone touchdown of the afternoon with a red zone strike to Josh Downs in a game that contained nine field goals and a great deal of staunch defense and troubled offense.
After the game, Colts head coach Shane Steichen discussed the loss with reporters.
“I thought there was some good,” Steichen said, “obviously some stuff to clean up, but got to finish games in this league.”
The Colts defense stepped up to the plate in a tremendously consequential contest, but was outshone in the end by Jason Myers, who successfully kicked six field goals and accrued all 18 of Seattle’s points.
The greatest weakness in the Indianapolis defense, in large part due to injury, is the cornerback position. The Colts were without their top two cornerbacks, Sauce Gardner and Charvarius Ward Sr. in Seattle, which complicated the process of holding off the high-powered Seahawks offense.
However, Indianapolis found great success with its front seven, which applied consistent pressure to Sam Darnold as a passer as well as Kenneth Walker III and Zach Charbonnet as ball carriers.
The Seahawks were held to just 50 yards on the ground, despite employing two formidable running backs on a regular basis. Additionally, Indianapolis collected five tackles for a loss and sacked Darnold once.
For much of the game, the Colts benefited from that admirable pass rush, which rushed Darnold through his progressions. In multiple critical moments, though, the Seattle receivers broke free and propelled the Seahawks down the field, setting up the field goals that would ultimately doom Indianapolis.
Darnold completed 22 of 36 pass attempts for 271 yards. His primary receiving target, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, brought down seven catches for 113 yards while Charbonnet led the efforts in the ground game with eight carries for 31 yards. Myers was successful on all six of his field goal attempts, the longest of which being from 56 yards out.
Indianapolis knew it would require a strong defensive performance if it was to win on the road with a 44-year-old quarterback stepping onto the field for the first time since the 2020-21 season. For the most part, Indianapolis enjoyed quality defense, and considering the circumstances were respectable on offense as well.
With Rivers at the helm, a reliable run game and accessible check downs were just as crucial as quality defense. Jonathon Taylor’s production needed to be established early to open up the playbook and allow Rivers to ease into the game. Similarly, the accessibility of Tyler Warren and the running backs in short yardage situations would grant Rivers an escape route when under pressure or when there was no one to throw to downfield.
Both Taylor and Warren answered the call early and often. Taylor averaged over three yards per carry, and the combination of Taylor, Warren and running back Ameer Abdullah totaled 11 receptions. Rivers benefited from a defense that held the Seattle Seahawks to under 20 points, a running game that could be leaned on and pass catchers who were available for simple completions when necessary.
Rivers completed 18 of 27 pass attempts for 120 yards, a touchdown and an interception on a desperate throw towards the end of regulation. Abdullah caught five passes for 32 yards and Taylor toted the ball 25 times for 87 yards.
After the game, Steichen was asked if he was encouraged by Rivers’ performance.
“Very encouraged,” Steichen said, “there’s no question about it. For him to go out there and do what he did, after five years off, to have a chance to win it and get a game-winning field goal… in a hostile environment against a top defense just shows his commitment to coming back and playing the way he did and fighting like crazy for his teammates and I thought it was pretty awesome to see.”
Despite recording the only touchdown of the game, the Colts were not able to position themselves to score on enough drives against one of the league’s best defenses. Down the stretch, the dangerous and dynamic Seattle offense dashed past the defense and snatched victory out of the hands of its guests.
All things considered, the Colts put forth a commendable effort on Lumen Field. However, Indianapolis ultimately fell short, and will feel the effects of this loss as they fight to win back their place in the AFC playoffs.
In the final three weeks of the season, Indianapolis will match up with San Francisco, Jacksonville and Houston. All of those teams would be in the postseason if the regular season ended this week, and two of them already beat the Colts earlier this season. Although the first half of the season in Indianapolis was one of the most successful in the NFL, the road to the postseason is an uphill one for the Colts as the regular season grows closer to its conclusion.
The Seattle Seahawks are back in action in their own building at 8:15 p.m. on Thursday Night Football next week in a massive divisional matchup with the Los Angeles Rams. Both teams are 11-3, tied atop the NFC West. The Indianapolis Colts also play in primetime and in their own building next week, as they prepare to host the San Francisco 49ers at 8:15 p.m. on Monday Night Football.
The last time the Indianapolis Colts took the field in a postseason game, the year was 2021 and Rivers was their quarterback. Now, in the 2025-26 season, Indianapolis looks to Rivers to lift the team to that next level once again. Although the Colts did not emerge victorious in Seattle, the team displayed promising signs of life and improvement, which preserve hope that a postseason run is still in the cards for Indianapolis.
