Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell was among the many people who received questions about Phillip Rivers coming out of retirement at 44. On December 10, the Indianapolis Colts announced that they had signed the former Los Angeles Chargers signal-caller.
After retiring following the 2020 season and 17 years in the NFL, the longtime star quarterback is rejoining the Colts on their practice squad amid an injury crisis that has left three quarterbacks sidelined. As a result, Rivers worked out for the Colts on December 8 and was eventually signed.
The news of Rivers coming out of retirement comes just a day after his 44th birthday, instantly making him the oldest active player in the NFL. Back in 2012, O’Connell suited up alongside Philip Rivers with the then-San Diego Chargers. When asked about Rivers stepping out of retirement, O’Connell offered his take on the move.
“I know Philip pretty well from San Diego and got a chance to be his teammate at one point,” O’Connell told reporters (h/t FOX Sports). “He’s one of my favorite people that I’ve ever been around, very short amount of time professionally, but we’ve become close over the years.
“So I was actually texting, getting ready to text him, ‘Happy 44th birthday.’ He’s got enough folks in his family to form a team if he needs to. He is one of the best to ever do it. I wouldn’t put anything past him.”
J.J. McCarthy Looks to Build Off of Week 14 Performance
Nonetheless, O’Connell will need to get his team ready for a primetime game against the Dallas Cowboys. The Vikings are looking to win back-to-back games as J.J. McCarthy looks for a build off his performance in the win over the Washington Commanders.
McCarthy returned from a concussion in Week 14 and went 16 of 23 for 163 yards, throwing three touchdowns while keeping the offense turnover-free with no interceptions. The stats might not be flashy, but they show McCarthy taking a significant step forward, and the focus now is on maintaining that momentum.
On December 10, McCarthy spoke with reporters and shared his thoughts on facing the Cowboys’ defense and the challenge it poses.
“From an overall scheme standpoint, Matt Eberflus has been doing this for a while, and I have tremendous respect for him—how he calls the game and coaches his players,“ McCarthy told reporters. “Up front, though, they’re really strong, especially with those two new additions [of Quinnen Williams and Kenny Clark]; it’s going to be a real test for us.
“Trevon Diggs might be back, and their linebackers are extremely athletic and physical. We’ve got our work cut out for us, but we just need to keep grinding, execute the game plan, and see where we stand Sunday night.”
Vikings Could Lean On the Running Game
Minnesota leaned on the run in the win over the Commanders, piling up 162 rushing yards as the ground game carried most of the load. Aaron Jones Sr. set the pace with 76 yards and a steady 5.4 per carry.
That production took pressure off McCarthy, who didn’t have to force the ball through the air to compensate for earlier rushing troubles. With a meeting against the Dallas Cowboys up next, Jones spoke with reporters about what he expects from Dallas and the challenge their defense brings.
“They’re a fast [and] physical defense,“ Jones told reporters on December 10. “They’re flying around, they have pieces at every level on their defense, and they’re playing hungry. So we got to exceed that.”
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