Colts' Philip Rivers: Improves in second start

Rivers completed 23 of 35 passes for 277 yards with two touchdowns and one interception in the Colts' 48-27 loss to the 49ers on Monday night. He also committed a fumble recovered by Indianapolis.

An extra week of practice following a five-year layoff did wonders for Rivers, who looked appreciably sharper most of the night as compared to his season debut against the Seahawks in Week 15. Rivers led a crisp nine-play, 72-yard drive to open the game that he capped off with a 20-yard touchdown pass to Alec Pierce, and he followed it up with another 16-yard scoring strike to the fleet-footed receiver in the second quarter. Rivers' momentum slowed in the second half, however, although he did lead a 12-play, 65- yard march that culminated with a Jonathan Taylor one-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter. The veteran signal-caller ultimately sealed the Colts' loss via a pick-six at the 49ers' 26-yard line with 3:26 remaining, but Rivers displayed impressive command of the offense while connecting with eight different targets overall. Indianapolis' quest for a wild-card berth gets another tough obstacle in Week 17, however, as the division-leading Jaguars pay a visit on Sunday afternoon.