Philip Rivers starts strong, but his late Pick-6 proves costly to Colts' playoff hopes in 48-27 loss

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Quarterback Philip Rivers came out of retirement seeking to lead the Indianapolis Colts to the playoffs.

Two games into his comeback, their postseason hopes barely exist.

While the 44-year-old grandfather gave the home fans plenty to cheer about in the first 3 1/2 quarters, San Francisco linebacker Dee Winter made Rivers pay for a late miscue by returning an interception 74 yards for a touchdown with 3:26 to play to seal a 48-27 victory — and perhaps the Colts' postseason fate.

“There's no prize for losing,” Rivers said. “I know this locker room is hurting again. I've been part of it for a short time, two losses, and I know it's been a long slide now for over a month. I know that's tough because I've been part of those slides. We've just got to find a way to dig deep and find a way to win a football game.”

Rivers looked much more like his younger self Monday night after a full week of practice.

He led the Colts (8-7) to a score on their first possession, routinely marched Indy down the field, tested the 49ers secondary immediately with a deep pass on the first offensive play of the game and even got back to his trash-talking ways.

Rivers went 23 of 35 with 277 yards and two TD passes despite playing behind an offensive line that started the game without either of its starting tackles, then lost starting center Tanor Bortolini just three plays into the game.

The bigger problem was a defense that allowed 440 total yards and never forced a punt as Indy lost for the first time all season when topping the 20-point mark.

But Rivers wasn't assessing blame in a game he found himself trying to evade a group of young, hungry players eager to make an impression on the star quarterback they grew up watching.

“Playing against him didn't seem real,” Winters said. “To be able to get a Pick-6 off of him, all I heard was my heartbeat and my adrenaline was running.”

Still, Rivers settled into a good rhythm against a Niners defense that expected to see the same run-first approach with the smattering of quick-hitting throws Rivers unleashed last week at Seattle.

Instead, he repeatedly found Josh Downs, who had five catches for 65 yards, early and later hooked up with Alec Pierce four times for 86 yards and two TDs. Neither player was with the Colts when Rivers last made a start at Lucas Oil Stadium in January 2021.

“I thought he played really good except that one play at the end,” coach Shane Steichen said. “But I thought he was on fire the whole game. He threw it to the right spots every time. He just had that one play at the end, but overall I thought he was really good.”

But with the Colts chasing late in the fourth, Rivers also fumbled the ball when he was sacked. Then the errant throw ended Indy's chance in this game — and left only a small one for the postseason.

“The name of the game is winning and that's what they did. They got it done,” Rivers said. “But I do feel like offensively we're going to move the ball. But our job is to score more points than the other team, whatever that (number) may be. Last week, it was 18 and we didn't get it done. This week, it would have been 41 if I hadn't thrown the Pick-6 and we didn't get it done.”

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San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan, middle left, hugs Indianapolis Colts quarterback Philip Rivers after an NFL football game, Monday, Dec. 22, 2025, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/AJ Mast)

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Philip Rivers (17) passes while pressured by San Francisco 49ers defensive end Clelin Ferrell during the second half of an NFL football game, Monday, Dec. 22, 2025, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Philip Rivers (17) passes against the San Francisco 49ers during the first half of an NFL football game, Monday, Dec. 22, 2025, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Philip Rivers (17) passes against the San Francisco 49ers during the first half of an NFL football game, Monday, Dec. 22, 2025, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/AJ Mast)

A small Mexican Navy plane transporting a young medical patient and seven others crashed Monday near Galveston, killing at least five people and setting off a search in waters along the Texas coast, officials said.

Four of the people aboard were Navy officers and four were civilians, including a child, Mexico’s Navy said in a statement to The Associated Press. Two of the passengers were from a nonprofit that provides aid to Mexican children with severe burns, including transports to a Galveston hospital.

U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer Luke Baker said at least five aboard had died but did not identify which passengers.

The cause of the crash is under investigation.

Mexico’s Marines said in a statement that it is sending “its deepest condolences to the families of those who lost their lives in this tragic accident.”

The crash took place Monday afternoon in Galveston Bay near the base of the causeway that connects Galveston Island to the mainland. Emergency responders and search teams rushed to the scene near the popular beach destination along the Texas coast that is about 50 miles (80.5 kilometers) southeast of Houston.

Sky Decker, a professional yacht captain who lives about a mile (1.6 kilometers) from the crash site, said he jumped in his boat to see if he could help. He said he picked up two police officers who directed him through thick fog to a nearly completely submerged plane. Decker jumped in the water and found a badly injured woman trapped beneath chairs and other debris.

“I couldn’t believe. She had maybe 3 inches of air gap to breathe in," he said. "And there was jet fuel in there mixed with the water, fumes real bad. She was really fighting for her life.”

He said he also pulled out a man sitting in front of her who had already died. He described both of them as dressed in civilian clothes.

Mexico's Navy said the plane was helping with a medical mission in coordination with the Michou and Mau Foundation, which provides emergency transports to children with life-threatening burns to Shriners Children's hospital in Galveston, according to the nonprofit's website.

The foundation said in a post on social media, “We express our deepest solidarity with the families in light of these events. We share their grief with respect and compassion, honoring their memory and reaffirming our commitment to providing humane, sensitive, and dignified care to children with burns.”

The statement from Mexico’s Navy said the plane had an “accident” during its approach to Galveston but did not elaborate.

Teams from the Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board have arrived at the scene of the crash, the Texas Department of Public Safety said on the social platform X.

A spokesperson from NTSB said they are “aware of this accident and are gathering information about it.” The Galveston County Sheriff’s Office said officials from its dive team, crime scene unit, drone unit and patrol were responding to the crash.

It’s not immediately clear if weather was a factor. The area has been experiencing foggy conditions over the past few days, according to Cameron Batiste, a National Weather Service meteorologist. He said that at about 2:30 p.m. Monday a fog came in that had about a half-mile visibility.

In this image provided by Sky Decker Jr., authorities and volunteers respond to a Mexican Navy plane crash near Galveston, Texas, Monday, Dec. 22, 2025. (Sky Decker Jr. via AP)

In this image provided by Sky Decker Jr., authorities and volunteers respond to a Mexican Navy plane crash near Galveston, Texas, Monday, Dec. 22, 2025. (Sky Decker Jr. via AP)

In this image provided by Sky Decker Jr., authorities and volunteers respond to a Mexican Navy plane crash near Galveston, Texas, Monday, Dec. 22, 2025. (Sky Decker Jr. via AP)null

Emergency personnel rush a victim of a small plane crash to an awaiting ambulance, Monday, Dec. 22, 2025, near the causeway, in Galveston, Texas. (Jennifer Reynolds/The Galveston County Daily News via AP)

Galveston Police officers watch the water on Galveston Bay west of the Galveston causeway, Monday, Dec. 22, 2025, near Galveston, Texas, as emergency personnel search for a small airplane that went down in the bay in heavy fog. (Jennifer Reynolds/The Galveston County Daily News via AP)

Emergency personnel rush a victim of a small plane crash to an awaiting ambulance, Monday, Dec. 22, 2025, near the Galveston causeway, near Galveston, Texas. (Jennifer Reynolds/The Galveston County Daily News via AP)