Indianapolis Colts to bench Philip Rivers, start Riley Leonard vs. Texans in Week 18

The Indianapolis Colts will bench QB Philip Rivers and start rookie Riley Leonard in Week 18, per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. The Colts take on the Houston Texans and are out of the AFC playoff race.

Rivers returned after five years of being in retirement for the stretch run to try and salvage the Colts’ playoff hopes. After starter Daniel Jones was affected by injuries in his play, he was eventually hurt enough to be ruled out for the season.

After a 7-1 start, Indy has lost seven of their last eight games, including all three starts under Rivers. Now, Leonard will get a change to showcase his skills during the final game.

To be fair to Rivers, who reset his Pro Football Hall of Fame eligibility clock by returning, he had 544 yards, four touchdowns and three interceptions in his return over three games. Not bad for being out of the game for half of a decade.

The Indianapolis Colts selected Leonard in the sixth round of the 2025 NFL Draft. He spent one season at Notre Dame, especially making plays with his legs while also developing as a passer.

Leonard was the Fighting Irish’s second-leading rusher in 2024, totaling 906 yards on the ground to go with 17 touchdowns, which tied for the team lead. He also completed a career-high 66.7% of his passes for 2,861 yards and 21 touchdowns.

Leonard started his college career at Duke, although injuries got in the way of his junior season. His best year in Durham came in 2022 when he threw for 2,967 yards and 20 touchdowns while adding 699 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns on the ground.

Leonard played high school football at Fairhope (Ala.), where he was a three-star prospect. He was the No. 418 overall player from the 2021 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.