Riley Leonard goes off in first start for Colts after the Philip Rivers era, leading to more QB questions in Indianapolis

The Indianapolis Colts didn't have anything to play for on Sunday afternoon, but Riley Leonard sure made the most of his first start with the franchise.

The former Notre Dame star went off in their 38-30 loss to the Houston Texans on Sunday, which officially ended their season. Leonard went 21-of-34 for 270 yards with three total touchdowns in the loss, and repeatedly kept the Colts in it at NRG Stadium.

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Leonard's first touchdown of the day was a long one. He found a wide open Alec Pierce for a 66-yard score just three plays into their opening drive of the game.

Leonard found Pierce again in the corner of the end zone just before halftime, too, which cut the Texans' lead back to just three points.

Leonard came out of halftime and kept it himself for a touchdown right away, too. That score put the Colts back out in front.

But in the end, it was the Texans who pulled out the narrow win. Ka'imi Fairbairn drilled a 43-yard field goal in the final seconds and then Tommy Togiai ran back a fumble for a touchdown on the Colts' last-ditch attempt. The win pushed the Texans to 12-5 on the season, which gave them the No. 5 seed in the AFC.

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DJ Giddens led the Colts on the ground with 30 yards on eight carries, and Jonathan Taylor had 26 yards on 14 carries. Pierce had 132 yards on four catches. He had a third touchdown later in the game, this time on the ground, but he was actually ejected for bumping into an official.

Leonard's day wasn't perfect. He threw an interception early in the fourth quarter, and lost a fumble on a sack in the first half. And, the Colts couldn't quite grab the win. But still, Leonard more than held his own.

Why didn’t the Colts do this earlier?

Instead of turning the offense over to Leonard a few weeks ago, when they were still in contention for a playoff spot, the Colts front office opted to make a shocking call to 44-year-old retired quarterback Philip Rivers — a man who, while undoubtedly has a strong case for a Hall of Fame bid, hadn’t played in the league for five years.

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Rivers did just fine in his three games starting for the Colts. He threw for 544 yards and four touchdowns with three interceptions over that span, and completed 63% of his passes. Considering the circumstances, it was about all the Colts could have hoped for.

But, most importantly, he couldn’t lead them to a single win.

Rivers went 0-3 as a starter for the Colts, who quickly fell out of playoff contention despite starting the season 8-2. After last week’s loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, which marked the team’s sixth straight, Rivers insisted that he was done playing in the league for good this time.

So with nothing left to play for, the Colts finally went to Leonard, the player they selected in the sixth round of the NFL Draft last spring.

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So, what do the Colts do from here?

The good part for the Colts is that they have months to figure this question out. But there is no real easy answer for them at quarterback.

Daniel Jones is recovering from a brutal Achilles injury he suffered earlier this season, and he’s set to become a free agent. There is belief that the Colts are going to try to sign him again, which could solve their problems fairly quickly. That is dependent on several things, though, including both Jones' desire to return to Indianapolis and his health.

The Colts do have Anthony Richardson, the former Florida quarterback they selected with the No. 4 overall pick in 2023. But Richardson went down with a scary injury after a workout band snapped and drilled him in the right eye earlier this season. It marked just the latest injury for Richardson, who has largely struggled to stay on the field during his time in the NFL.

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While the Colts could turn elsewhere to bolster their quarterbacks room, be that in the draft or in free agency, Leonard may have played his way into the conversation on Sunday afternoon. With his rookie season now complete, and Jones recovering from a very serious injury before free agency, there is a window for him to make a move and take over the starting job in Indianapolis.

The question, however, is whether the Colts want that. Considering they didn’t give him the opportunity a few weeks ago with meaningful football left on their schedule, he may have a lot more work to do.