"He can't go and can play that well": Jason Kelce sheds doubt about Colts' rookie Riley Leonard after Philip Rivers' comeback game

Former Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce has reacted to Philip Rivers’ return from retirement for the Indianapolis Colts and its implication for rookie Riley Leonard. The Colts had to call 44-year-old Rivers out of retirement to face the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday following an injury crisis in their quarterbacks room.

The Colts’ primary quarterback, Daniel Jones, sustained a season-ending injury to his Achilles tendon during their Week 14 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars. With backup quarterback Anthony Richardson already sidelined with a facial injury, Leonard replaced Jones as the Colts fell to a 36-19 loss.

With many thinking the rookie would earn his first start against the Seahawks the following week, head coach Shane Steichen opted for the retired Rivers. The decision to bench Leonard against the Seahawks was probably because of his PCL sprain. But he did not have an injury designation and had full practice in the week leading up to the game.

Kelce, on the latest episode of the New Heights podcast he hosts with his brother Travis, submitted that Rivers performed better than Leonard would have. He said (25:40):

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“I think he gave them their best chance. I mean, that’s the reality of it. They’re playing the Seahawks, one of the best defenses in the NFL. This guy hasn’t played for five years, and he gave them an opportunity to win the game. They were winning the game when he left the field. So what? Riley Leonard, was he going to give them their best shot? What was Riley ever going to do against the Seahawks?”

Travis retorted, “We’ll never know,” before Jason reiterated:

“Was he going to go out there and play that well? I don’t think so.”

Commentator hits at Colts for bringing back Philip Rivers at Riley Leonard’s expense

Sports commentator and podcast host Bomani Jones has criticized the Colts for preferring a previously retired 44-year-old, Philip Rivers, to Riley Leonard. Jones said on his podcast, “The Right Time with Bomani Jones”:

“It was not a fun watch. It wasn’t a sad watch. It was really insulting to Riley Leonard. Like, I think that’s the best way that I could put it. Like, it was just kind of confusing why he was even out there. But he had them ahead at the end, only for them to give up a field goal and to lose the game.”

It is expected Philip Rivers will lead the Colts again when they face the San Francisco 49ers next Monday.

Edited by Kayode Akinwumi