Colts confirm widespread suspicion with their plan for Philip Rivers and Riley Leonard in Week 18 being revealed
Many were already expecting it, but an NFL insider has officially leaked the Colts’ plan at QB for Week 18 against the Texans.
Even before the Indianapolis Colts’ Week 17 matchup with the Jacksonville Jaguars kicked off, rumors were running wild on the team’s plan at QB for Week 18. It seems those suspicions have just been confirmed.
ESPN’s NFL insider Jeremy Fowler reports that the team is planning to start Riley Leonard in Week 18. This ends Philip Rivers’ run as the team’s starter after three games, as the future Hall of Famer decided to come out of retirement to sign with the Colts.
Colts set to start Riley Leonard, officially ending Philip Rivers’ return to the NFL
After Daniel Jones suffered a torn Achilles, many expected the team to turn to Leonard as its starter. He was dealing with a knee injury of his own, which led the Colts to consider other options. He’s now rested for three weeks, and the team seems to feel good enough about his status to turn to him now as their starter.
The Colts selected Leonard in the sixth round of the 2025 NFL Draft. He had a successful college career at Duke and, most recently, at Notre Dame, and is now set to make his first start in the NFL. It won’t be easy, though, as he is taking on one of the best defenses in the league in Week 18, the Houston Texans.
The team will gain significantly more arm strength and mobility going to Leonard over Rivers. They do lose Rivers’ Hall-of-Fame-caliber mind, though, which has been an asset in recent weeks. Against a Texans defense that is still holding on to a chance to steal the AFC South crown away from the Jaguars. It will be interesting to see what Leonard can do, as well as who else the team may choose to sit out.
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