Even though Christmas Day has officially passed us by, it's still the holiday season, and that means it remains the season of sentimentality. And that shouldn't just be the case in homes around the country... it should be the case for football fans as well.
Next Sunday, the Houston Texans will face the Indianapolis Colts in their regular season finale, and it's a game that will have postseason ramifications no matter what happens across the National Football League in Week 17. Understandably, Texans fans will be taking great joy in watching Danielle Hunter, Will Anderson Jr. and the rest of Houston's swarming defense get after geriatric quarterback Philip Rivers next weekend, but for today, Texans fans across the country should be rallying behind Old Man Rivers with 'Let's Go Grandpa!' chants for three straight hours.
Here's why: if the Indianapolis Colts manage to upset the streaking Jacksonville Jaguars this afternoon, it would put the Texans, who clinched a Playoff berth thanks toyesterday's win over the Los Angeles Chargers, into the driver's seat in the AFC South. At 11-5, the Texans and the Jags would be deadlocked in the standings, but with a superior record within the division, Houston would nudge ahead of Jacksonville via tiebreaker and give themselves a shot at a third straight division crown and an opening round home game as long as they went on to handle business against Indy next week.
But to avoid having to go on the road during the Wild Card Round, the Texans do need help, and as crazy as it may sound, there's a better chance that a 44-year-old grandpa can get the job done than the reigning #1 overall pick in the NFL Draft (Cam Ward) in Week 18.
And there's one other thing to consider: while there's no reason forTexans fans to have any sort of allegiance to Philip Rivers, this is objectively a captivating sports story. Not only is Rivers a grandpa playing quarterback in the NFL, but he's doing so despite not having played professionally in nearly five full years. This is the pro football equivalent of George Foreman winning the Heavyweight Title at 45, or Georges St. Pierre returning following a four-year layoff to win the UFC Middleweight Title in his first bout back in the octagon.
This is a Disney movie playing out before our very eyes, and for the sake of the climax of this film, Rivers should get one win under his belt before going back to coaching at the high school level and being a dad to his 10 children. Why not have it come at the expense of the Jacksonville Jaguars?