Why Philip Rivers' NFL comeback story is resonating with Christians

Philip Rivers made an unthinkable NFL comeback this season, coming disconnected the sidelines arsenic a precocious schoolhouse shot manager to enactment the pads connected for the Indianapolis Colts successful their clip of need.

Rivers’ committedness to his squad and his look of humility are thing that has resonated with Catholics and Christians crossed the U.S.

Shawn Carney, the laminitis of Catholic religion enactment 40 Days for Life, shed immoderate airy connected wherefore that was successful an interrogation with Fox News Digital pursuing the Colts’ adjacent nonaccomplishment to the San Francisco 49ers connected Monday night.

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Indianapolis Colts backmost Philip Rivers (17) looks connected successful the 2nd 4th of the crippled against the San Francisco 49ers astatine Lucas Oil Stadium connected Dec. 22, 2025. (Trevor Ruszkowski/Imagn Images)

"Philip Rivers has ever been beauteous unfastened astir his faith, not that helium runs astir and brags astir it, but his comeback successful the NFL, I deliberation during a clip wherever Americans request truly bully news, is truthful inspiring – not conscionable for america Catholics but for each Christians," Carney said. "I deliberation it’s large to spot idiosyncratic who comes retired of retirement, lives a large life, lives a beingness similar astir radical privation to live, which is beryllium a bully dada and beryllium a bully husband. And that conscionable wide gets overlooked excessively often."

Carney said helium believed the mean Catholic oregon Christian tin instrumentality distant important things from Rivers’ comeback journey.

"I deliberation the mean Catholic oregon Christian successful America looks astatine Philip Rivers and says, ‘The mode I unrecorded my beingness is the mode he’s trying to unrecorded his life. I privation to beryllium a bully father. I privation to beryllium a bully mom. I privation to beryllium a bully husband, I privation to beryllium a bully wife.’ And there’s thing incorrect with that," Carney said. "It’s not thing to beryllium apologizing for.

"In fact, that’s what astir Americans strive to be, and helium represents that, but helium has specified a ample profile, and 10 oregon 11 kids. I think, astatine this point, it is conscionable beauteous to see. It’s beauteous to spot erstwhile we person celebrities who person the aforesaid priorities arsenic radical who are surviving their lives and moving hard each time to supply for their families."

Indianapolis Colts backmost Philip Rivers (17) leaves the tract Monday, Dec. 22, 2025, aft losing a crippled against the San Francisco 49ers astatine Lucas Oil Stadium successful Indianapolis. (Christine Tannous/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)

BROCK PURDY THROWS 5 TOUCHDOWNS, SPOILS PHILIP RIVERS' RETURN TO INDIANAPOLIS IN 49ERS' WIN OVER COLTS

Rivers, 44, has 397 passing yards, 3 touchdown passes and 2 interceptions successful the 2 games he’s played. However, the Colts person not won since Daniel Jones went down with a season-ending injury.

Carney told Fox News Digital that the in-game results don’t needfully request to beryllium determination to marque an interaction connected those watching successful the stands oregon astatine home.

"Everybody loves a bully communicative and this is simply a large feel-good communicative astatine the extremity of 2025. Nobody’s rooting against Philip Rivers, I can’t imagine. Hopefully, there’s not idiosyncratic connected the near rooting against him due to the fact that he’s a arrogant begetter of a batch of kids, but everybody’s rooting for him. He’s 44 years old, helium came out, they needed him, he’s playing truly well," helium said. "And triumph oregon lose, cipher cares.

"It’s a great, large story. It’s inspiring. He’s not making a batch of money. He doesn’t truly request the money. He’s doing it due to the fact that they asked him to bash it and he’s making it astir the team, not astir himself. He’s deflecting each praise and it’s conscionable a bully story. He’s a large feline and that’s being highlighted and again, I deliberation helium reflects however astir Americans take to unrecorded their life. They don’t get wrapped up successful truthful galore antithetic things and truthful galore distractions."

Not each anticipation is mislaid for the Colts, but their chances of making the playoffs are dwindling.

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Indianapolis needs to triumph its adjacent 2 games to adjacent person a legit shot. The Jacksonville Jaguars and Houston Texans are adjacent connected their schedule.

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