Just weeks after St. Michael football's record-setting season ended in the Class 4A semifinals, head coach Philip Rivers was back in the NFL — not on the sideline, but under center.

The 44-year-old Rivers worked out with the Indianapolis Colts amid a rash of quarterback injuries that left the fringe playoff contender searching for options. He was signed to the practice squad the day after the workout and elevated to the active roster the night before Indianapolis' Week 15 game at Seattle.

As for what Rivers told his players about the sudden turn of events, St. Michael running back Noah Moss said the message was simple.

"To sum it up, he said 'I don't really know what happened, but I'm here now,'" Moss said. 

Just like that, the 17-year NFL veteran was back on the field. More than 2,500 miles away from the Eastern Shore, Rivers still had plenty of support at home. Nearly the entire St. Michael football team, along with friends and family, gathered Sunday at Cactus Cantina in Fairhope to watch their coach make his first NFL start since a 2021 wild-card game.

Indianapolis came up short in a late comeback attempt, but Rivers had viewers locked in from his first touchdown pass through a final drive that nearly produced another signature moment.

"Pretty nervous honestly," St. Michael wide receiver Tucker Tomlinson said while waiting for the Rivers' start. "He's like one of us out there. It's the same feeling before going into a big playoff game."

Players said rumors of Rivers' return began circulating over the weekend and intensified as the week went on. Still, none of them could believe this was real life. "We heard rumors starting over the weekend, and it started building up over the week. 

"We really couldn't believe it was real when it finally happened," Tomlinson said. 

Running back Noah Moss called the moment "surreal," noting Rivers had been coaching them just two weeks earlier. Moss said he initially dismissed the news as a rumor until confirming it with Rivers' son and St. Michael starting quarterback, Gunner. 

"He was just coaching us in the semifinals," Moss said. "It's a special memory for all of us."

Rivers' presence in the Colts' offense also felt familiar to the Cardinals watching back home. Rivers had stayed in contact with Indianapolis coach Shane Steichen throughout the season, breaking down film and discussing the playbook — concepts Rivers later installed at the high school level.

"I can definitely see the similarities between our offense and theirs," Moss said. "For us guys at St. Michael that are going on to play at the next level, Coach Rivers having implemented that for us helps us a lot to be able to adapt to a college-level offense."

As of Monday, Dec. 15, senior NFL insider Adam Schefter says the plan for the Colts is to start Rivers once again in Week 16's matchup against the San Francisco 49ers.