Rivers’ fairy tale may be over, but Canton calls even louder

If we can dare to assume that Monday night’s bright performance will go down as his final game as an NFL starter, Philip Rivers gets high marks for his improbable comeback to quarterbacking at age 44.

Rivers led the Colts to 27 points, while further affirming that a savvy quarterback can succeed even if he’s not a sprinter or a powerful deep passer.

Much like when he began his NFL career in San Diego more than two decades ago, the 6-foot-5 Rivers saw where the ball must go and threw it on time and on target.

He flung two touchdown passes in the first 16 minutes, keeping the desperate Colts close.

Counterpart Brock Purdy, 25, struck a blow for savvy young dudes.

A nimble still-rising playmaker who led the 49ers to the Super Bowl two years ago, Purdy matched Rivers in the pocket but also made plays on the flanks and on the run.

Kept off balance, the Colts (8-7) had their worst defensive game of the year, while the 49ers (11-4) pushed their bid for the NFC’s top seed and playoff bye.

Because the 48-27 defeat all but eliminated coach Shane Steichen’s club from the playoff race, one of the NFL’s better feel-good stories of recent years may have ended on Rivers’ final pass.

Thrown with the Colts down 14 points inside of four minutes, it went for an interception-touchdown late in the last quarter after linebacker Dee Winters exploited a poor route by rookie tight end Tyler Warren.

Next, Rivers figures to swap out his helmet for a ballcap.

He can assume a backup role to rookie Riley Leonard, a friend and neighbor in Fairhope, Ala., in the final two games.

Along with his family, Rivers can treasure a two-week stretch like few others in NFL history. He came out of retirement on short notice and turned in two games that were more than serviceable, despite not having played in almost five years and facing above-average competition.

His Colts teammates helped out more in the first game, a 16-13 loss at Seattle, than Monday, when a fumbled kickoff return added to the defense’s pain.

As he did after many Chargers defeats, Rivers said his own performance wasn’t good enough.

“There’s no prize for losing,” he said.

Deprived of Colts fans during the pandemic, the QB hadn’t played before a home crowd since a December loss six years ago with the Los Angeles Chargers. That game was played at a soccer stadium in Carson and a pro-Raiders crowd.

Many San Diegans remember the enthusiasm Rivers brought to Chargers games in Mission Valley.

Easing his truck past cheering tailgaters, he pumped his fists and hollered.

He wasn’t too amped up Monday, starting fast, completing seven passes for 10 yards or more in the first quarter.

Compared to his first start, a week earlier at Seattle, his footwork was more confident. He attempted and completed more medium-range passes.

“He was unbelievable,” said 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan.

By coming out of retirement and actually playing in an NFL game, Rivers reset his five-year candidacy for the Pro Football Hall of Fame and deferred his earliest consideration from the 2026 class to the Class of 2031.

Rivers said the Hall of Fame details had no effect on his decision, which came after Steichen, a longtimes friend whose offensive system Rivers teaches to his own players as a high school coach, invited him to replace injured starter Daniel Jones.

As it turned out, Rivers’ return may have benefited his Hall candidacy.

Deservedly, his two performances generated a lot of praise throughout the NFL, including from some Hall of Fame voters.

Some of the praise could be over the top. Hall of Fame QB and ESPN analyst Troy Aikman, for example, said of Rivers’ performance at Seattle that “every ball was put where it had to be” although Rivers underthrow a wide-open Josh Downs for what would have been a critical chunk gain. Former NFL QB J.T. O’Sullivan of The QB School, amid a deep dive for his subscribers, noted that Rivers miscue plus two others, but gave Rivers a good grade for that game.

Some Hall voters had questioned whether Rivers had succeeded often enough in big moments, while also pondering the absence of any Super Bowl appearance in his 17 seasons as a starter.

The past two games won’t address those concerns. But Rivers only strengthened his legacy as a durable performer whose ability to decipher defenses, quick release, touch and accuracy rank among his generation’s top tier.

Also due to the postponement of his Hall eligibility, Rivers won’t go onto the ballot until several years after Drew Brees and Ben Roethlisberger — two of his prominent contemporaries — are first voted upon. Both Brees and Roethlisberger won a Super Bowl. I consider them easy selections for Canton. Not being lumped with Brees and Big Ben, then, might benefit Rivers’ induction odds. And the postponement will allow Rivers’ many supporters to champion his case to voters.

My guess is, the past two weeks have only helped him toward getting a bronze bust.