STRUGGLING COLTS COULD TURN TO RIVERS AGAINST SEAHAWKS

Indianapolis (8-5) at Seattle (10-3)

Sunday, 4:25 p.m. EST, Fox.

BetMGM NFL odds: Seahawks by 11 1/2.

Against the spread: Seahawks 10-3; Colts 7-5-1

Series record: Colts lead 7-6.

Last meeting: Seahawks beat Colts 28-16 on Sept. 12, 2021 ,in Indianapolis.

Last week: Seahawks beat the Falcons 37-9, Colts lost to the Jaguars 36-19

Colts offense: overall (6), rush (6), pass (8), scoring (5t).

Colts defense: overall (23), rush (6), pass (29), scoring (13).

Seahawks offense: overall (9), rush (18), pass (9), scoring (2).

Seahawks defense: overall (6), rush (4), pass (11), scoring (2).

Turnover differential: Colts plus-3; Seahawks minus-2.

Colts player to watch

QB Philip Rivers. With Daniel Jones suffering a season-ending injury last weekend and rookie backup Riley Leonard hobbled, the Colts brought the 44-year-old Hall of Fame semifinalist out of retirement in hopes of making the playoffs. It wasn’t clear whether he’ll start — or even play — Sunday, but he could be the Colts’ best option to make a playoff push.

Seahawks player to watch

TE AJ Barner. The second-year player only snagged three passes for 27 yards last Sunday. But considering the Seahawks are likely to be without fellow tight end Elijah Arroyo (knee) after he was injured in Sunday’s game against the Falcons, Barner should garner more targets from Sam Darnold against a Colts defense that struggles against the pass.

Key matchup

Colts offensive line vs. Seahawks defensive line. With right tackle Braden Smith in the concussion protocol and the Colts starting either Rivers, Leonard or recently promoted Brett Rypien against a strong defense in a loud, hostile environment, pass protections will be essential. And it’s a good bet the Seahawks will dial up some exotic defenses to confuse and harass whomever the Colts start.

Key injuries

Colts: Pro Bowl CB Charvarius Ward was placed on injured reserve with a concussion. … It’s not yet clear whether two-time All-Pro CB Sauce Gardner will return from his strained calf. … Two-time Pro Bowl DT DeForest Buckner (neck) is eligible to return from injured reserve this week and he practiced Wednesday, opening the window for a return.

Seahawks: DT Johnathan Hankins (back) won’t return from the reserve/non-football injury list this season, coach Mike Macdonald said last month. … WR Tory Horton (shin) was placed on injured reserve last month. … Arroyo (knee) is not currently practicing and is doubtful to play Sunday. … G Jalen Sundell and TE Eric Saubert both returned to practice Wednesday as limited participants. Both players have been on injured reserve, with Sundell for the past four games due to a knee injury, and Saubert for the last six games due to a calf injury. Macdonald is optimistic both will be available for Sunday’s game.

Series notes

The Seahawks have won the last two in this short series and have won three of the last five. Indianapolis is 0-2 all-time at Qwest/CenturyLink Field. These franchises both played in the AFC from Seattle’s inception in 1976 until realignment in 2002 when league officials moved the Seahawks from the AFC West to the NFC West and the Colts from the AFC East to the AFC South.

Stats and stuff

The Colts are in their worst stretch of the season, losing three straight and four of five. They’ve surrendered the division lead to Jacksonville and are tied with Houston for second, one game back. The Colts also are seeded eighth in a seven-team playoff field entering Week 15. … Indianapolis has scored 20 or fewer points in all five of its losses this season. … Rivers has not taken a snap since announcing his retirement in January 2021 and has spent the last five seasons coaching a high school team in Alabama. … RB Jonathan Taylor continues to lead the league in rushing (1,356 yards) despite rushing for 217 yards and one TD during the losing streak. Taylor needs one TD run to pass Hall of Famer Lenny Moore (16) for the second-highest single-season total in franchise history. … WR Michael Pittman Jr. needs one catch to surpass his total from last season (69). … Tyler Warren needs 28 yards receiving to break John Mackey’s franchise record for most yards receiving by a rookie tight end. Mackey had 726 yards in 1963. … The Colts have a takeaway in a league-best 13 games this season and also are tied for the league lead with five takeaways in the red zone. … Nick Cross is tied for second in the NFL among safeties with 2 1/2 sacks. … K Blake Grupe made both of his field goal attempts and his only extra-point attempt last week in his Colts debut. … The Seahawks have 10 wins in their first 13 games for the first time since 2019. Seattle went 10-7 last season and hasn’t had a losing season since 2021 under Pete Carroll. … The Seahawks are 4-0 against AFC foes this season, including a 27-19 win against the Texans on Oct. 20. … Seattle has beaten its last two opponents, the Vikings and Falcons, by a combined score of 63-9. WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who leads the NFL in receiving yards this season, tied a season high with two TD catches last Sunday. His 1,428 yards receiving are 242 more than Puka Nacua, the NFL’s second-leading receiver. … CB Devon Witherspoon had his first interception of the season last week. It was the second of his career and first since his rookie season on Oct. 2, 2023, against the New York Giants. … The Seahawks have 41 sacks, good for fourth in the NFL, while the offense has allowed just 17. … K Jason Myers has made 18 of his last 19 attempts, with the lone miss from 61 yards during a Nov. 16 loss to the Rams. He is 31 for 36 overall this season.

Fantasy tip

The Seahawks’ defense has been among the league’s best all season, and there is little reason to believe that will change against the reeling Colts. Indianapolis very well may turn to Rivers to get off the schneid, an enticing matchup for Seattle’s pass rush.

COLTS QB RILEY LEONARD HEALTHY, ON EDGE WITH ROLE IN LIMBO

Life is moving in fast-forward for rookie quarterback Riley Leonard since he grabbed his helmet and ran onto the field to replace injured Indianapolis Colts starter Daniel Jones in Jacksonville last Sunday.

Leonard, a sixth-round pick, had thrown only two passes — a pair of fourth-quarter incompletions against the Tennessee Titans on Oct. 26 — before Jones’ injury shoved him into the thick of a game with first place in the AFC South on the line.

“It’s very difficult, but that’s the nature of the game. Obviously, your first thought is to pray for Daniel and hope he’s great because that’s not how you envision getting snaps, right?” Leonard detailed after Sunday’s game. “I always envision myself working and working and developing into a starter, (a position) that I earned. Whether I earned it or not is kind of irrelevant. Daniel went down; my turn was up. It’s super unfortunate to see that, but hopefully everything works out. We’ll be praying for him for sure.”

The Colts lost Jones, and 2023 first-round pick Anthony Richardson is on injured reserve, so when Indianapolis lost Sunday’s game and Leonard left the stadium limping on his knee, head coach Shane Steichen gave 44-year-old Philip Rivers a ring. Rivers was at the team facility by Monday night and officially signed to the practice squad, studying the call sheet for Week 15. He was reviewing calls, plays and checks for the game at Seattle with Leonard, who was born a few days after Rivers threw five touchdown passes on 10 completions against Navy as a junior at North Carolina State.

Both quarterbacks practiced Wednesday and Thursday.

Last week, Leonard played the final three quarters and rushed for a 6-yard TD. His touchdown pass to Michael Pittman Jr. was taken off the board on an offensive pass interference call, but he completed 18 of 29 passes for 145 yards with an interception.

Leonard remains optimistic his first career start is coming this week. Steichen, though, did not rule out turning to Rivers instead in his 245th career game but first since 2021.

“As far as I know, I’m going to go out there and give it my best,” Leonard said.

Steichen, a former assistant coach with the Chargers, crossed over with Rivers for eight seasons, and they were in regular contact long after he joined the Philadelphia Eagles and took over as a first-time head coach with the Colts prior to last season.

When Steichen told of how the call to Rivers came about, it was clear he’s still a believer.

“He’s one of the most passionate players I’ve ever been around,” Steichen said. “The obsession for the game is off the charts.”

The Colts dropped to 8-5 last week and already lost to the Houston Texans (8-5) during the current three-game losing streak.

With four games to play, Indianapolis already has entered “playoff mode” and the schedule is relentless starting at Seattle on Sunday. The Colts are home on “Monday Night Football” against the San Francisco 49ers (9-4) next week and close the regular season at Houston on Jan. 4.

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