Featuring postgame quotes from the following:

Head Coach Shane Steichen

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All right. Injuries, Bernhard Raimann had an elbow, didn't return. So we'll see how the week goes.

Obviously disappointing. Got to find a way to finish the game. Had our chance there at the end, didn't get it done. I thought there was some good. Obviously some stuff to clean up. But got to finish the games in this league.

So how do you assess the way Philip Rivers looked after five years away?

I mean, he went out there, we had a chance to win it. Put it that way. We had a chance to win it there at the end. Got a field goal to take the lead with 30 seconds left, or whatever it was, 40 seconds. I thought he managed the offense. Plan going into the game was running the ball, controlling the clock. Thought we did a pretty good job of that in the first half and just setting up pretty good in the first half that way and then obviously didn't manage enough points there in the second half. It was a hard-fought game.

Was that a pass on third down that Phil affect the run?

Right there at the end. Yeah. Third and eight, got closer to field goal range. Throwing the plate. Now you're probably in no man's land, probably going to go for it there.

How much are you encouraged?

Very encouraged. I'm very encouraged. There's no question about it. For him to go out there and do what he did after five years off, to have a chance to win it and get a game-winning field goal, close to it, obviously, with 40 seconds left, in a hostile environment, against a tough defense just shows his commitment to coming back and playing the way he did and fighting like crazy for his teammates, and I thought it was pretty awesome to see.

How important was Philip kind of checking in and out of plays today for the offense?

It was huge. We checked a couple there. One run popped for about 12 that he checked to. Obviously that third down to get in field goal range was huge. Couple other things here and there that he did to keep the offense moving.

Is that the kind of game you kind of needed to play today, do you feel like?

Yeah. There's no doubt. That was what the plan was going into it, run the football, control the clock. That was the type of game that we thought it was going to be, probably so much more of this and hopefully we would be on the other side of it and we weren't.

What do you mean the --

Yeah, it's huge. He's got the distance to do it. It was huge by him getting that done.

Your thoughts on that defense the way they played, especially with three of your top players out. Not allowing Seattle to score a touchdown.

Yeah. No question. Our defense I think they gave up three rushing yards in the first half, which was phenomenal. I thought our defense played really good against obviously the run game obviously and a top receiver in Njigba. I thought they did some really good things.

What do you think the difference was on that last drive defensively?

I mean, two-minute drive. They hit the plays there at the end to get in field goal range. That was the bottom line. We had some zone, we had some blitzes up. Whatever they needed, 20 yards in range and they got it done.

Did losing Bernie for the second half impact your ability to kind of execute that game plan?

I thought he went out there and battled like crazy. He's been doing a hell of a job for us all year. So to get this opportunity and go out and scratch and claw like he did.

The kickoff right after the field goal, that one's gotta be a little bit more difficult for the returning team, right?

Yeah. They had no timeouts. So obviously we're trying to bleed as much time off the clock there. And I think they got to the 37, so would have been 35. So a two-yard difference there.

Ameer leads the team in receiving today. How much of the game plan was it around him and do you see that going forward?

I think it was just some of the things we had. Whether he was in there or J.T. was in there, I know Phil does a good job of finding those check downs and getting those balls to the tailbacks and stuff. So Ameer did a real nice job.

First touchdown pass in over five years. Emotion afterwards.

It was pretty special to see that. I'm not going to lie. It was awesome to see him, how excited he was. Brought back the flashbacks of five, six years ago, the way he operated out there and the communication on the sidelines with the O line walking up and down. He was confident, I can do it.

The back shoulder that Pierce that set up Kirby's field goal. What did you see on that?

We got that thing up and down early, and that was something they worked on in practice all week, first press. Get this thing up and down and get your eyes to me. Obviously came to life there on that last drive. We hit it for a big play.

What do you tell the team at this point?

There's no doubt. I think that's the encouraging thing. Obviously it's disappointing anytime you lose, but we're guaranteed three left and had a chance to win one today, but now we got another opportunity to go do it again on Monday night against San Francisco, and we're excited for that challenge.

Not necessarily being able to push it down the field, you guys probably knew that coming into it. How do you kind of work your way around that?

I think each and every week is different. Obviously this was his first time playing, getting back into the flow of it and that was the game plan and we went in and did it. Obviously that'll probably change as the weeks go on.

He took some hits. Seemed like he popped right up. What did you observe?

It's hard sometimes because I'm calling plays, I see him down, but he pops right up just like he did in the past. So for him to go out and do what he did after five years off, I thought was pretty good.

Did he talk to Josh about the miscommunication?

Yeah, he got that thing up and down early. It was just a little double move to Josh, and Josh was trying to get his head around and the ball was up in the air and just one of those deals.

QB Phillip Rivers

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Phil, what were your emotions, the route, this game and then now?

You know, grateful. I mean, grateful. During warmups and all that, and out there for the anthem, and as the game got going, I was just thankful, grateful that I was out there.

And it was a blast. It was a blast, but obviously the emotions now are disappointment, right? Disappointment. This isn't about me. We got a team that was scrapping like crazy to try to stay alive and get in the postseason.

So obviously we're all disappointed. Came up just short. The game kind of played out almost kind of how we thought it was going to play out in terms of how we were going to win the game, kind of one of those grind-it-out kind of games. And, you know, we didn't find a way to get it done is the bottom line.

We did a lot of things really well on both sides of the ball and obviously played unbelievable kicking football all game. Some of us were in there talking now, you know, we gotta win -- you know, I'm speaking offensively. If I can stay healthy, like, I feel good. It's gonna get better as we go. But the catch in that is we gotta win. Doesn't really matter if it's getting better as we go, we gotta win. It's going to be over in three weeks. That's the catch there. It's going to continue to get better. This is obviously the first one, we're talking about three days of practice.

But, again, it was a real blessing to be back out there with the guys, but obviously this is about the Colts and the Seahawks, and we didn't find a way to get it done. Certainly, there were a few plays here and there I'd like back, but all in all we just didn't find a way.

Being hit for the first time in a while, did that wake you up a little bit or remind you of the game at all?

I never minded that part of it. My wife always tells me I'm crazy because there's been times in the last three or four years I said I wish I could just throw one and get hit hard. She says, that's not normal. So, I'm fine with that part.

The one where the ball was snapped didn't feel great, but the other ones kind of got me going in the game. Actually, didn't feel too far off. It was kind of crazy how normal it felt once we got going in the game.

Describe your feelings on that TD pass, because your excitement was obvious to all of us.

Yeah. I mean, you know, it was exciting. Shoot, it was exciting to take a 13-3 lead. But first off, our play that we kind of had all week in the red zone in that area on that down and distance on that hash, we practiced in the exact same spot this week. So, when things go like that, they fire you up. Obviously, you throw in the fact that it's been 1,800 days since throwing a touchdown or interception for that matter. So, yeah, both of those boxes were checked.

That was an exciting drive, heck of a drive. We had a few different plays there. Ameer had a big catch. Tyler had a big catch on the dover. And then obviously Downs gets in the end zone.

Again, it was one of those grind-it-out games. I know we didn't have a ton of yards total offense, but we controlled the ball. We did all those things that you want to do. Again, I know that on the end of the book it says we turned the ball over, but we didn't turn the ball over. That was obviously in desperation mode.

So, all in all, disappointed. You know, thankful and nothing but gratitude from the standpoint of getting to be here and be a part of it again, but disappointed we didn't get it done, as I will have been disappointed in any other loss, I've ever been a part of where I was the quarterback.

The back shoulder?

Yeah. We actually worked on four or five or those on Thursday. I said let's get a few because he was like people were starting to play high on him because he's been running by some folks. Again, this game he didn't really get many targets. That was really one opportunity he had. He had the one they called P.I. and they were kind of squatting on him on the stop route. So we went right back to the go ball and he made a heck of a contested play.

So, again, a lot of confidence in all the wideouts in a short period of time, obviously I've been around Pitt, but not the other guys in person. So, like I said, those kind of plays are I had full trust in those. Those are trust building, kind of like, we did that. But we don't have time -- it's not like we're building this thing out. You're looking at 21 days left, you know, whatever, to find a way to get in.

Phil, you've gone through pre-practices with this team, traveling, meetings, now games. What have you learned about this Colts team?

Well, Coach said it in there, and you hope it would be the case. But the effort, the fight, the want-to, it's what I remember from the 2020 team. Just being in that team meeting and the meetings last night and everything, the whole week these guys were all about it.

And you can be all about it and you can go after something and I can stand here to say it doesn't always work out. You know what I mean? You can do all those things, and it doesn't mean you're going to win because there's a lot of other teams that are doing it, too, that you're playing against.

I think the mindset and the work ethic, all the things, all the buzz words you've all heard, that's all here. Ain't no question about that. We just gotta find a way.

Again, this is a one-score league is what it is. Across the league every Sunday, I've now been doing this as a fan the past four-and-a-half years. And it's central time, which we are, at about 3:00 you're scrambling to find which three games are coming -- four or five games that are coming down the wire, and then you look right back up at 6:15 and here they're coming right back down the wire, and then you watch the Sunday night game. And I've been doing it for 14 weeks. Now I'm right smack dab in the middle of one with 50 seconds left.

You don't get to where you are without being very confident, obviously. But at the same time you haven't done this in a long time. Did any part of you -- or what part of you, if any, wondered how this might go and could I do this? Was there any of that?

I think that was certainly the sentiment on Monday and Tuesday. And then I really have been thankful to God that I haven't had those doubts really creep back in my mind. I've been very much at peace with everything about it. And I say peace with results, but not with I'm okay with us losing. I'm certainly not. But I've come to grips with however this thing plays out, I'll be okay for having done it because I made that commitment, and I'm just thankful. I really am.

Certainly that first time you get the ball and you go out there and that gets you cranked up and you go, dang! Where am I? I felt a little bit of a dream, honestly. I stood right here before, but it was 2018.

But I hadn't been in an NFL stadium like that, in the center of it, calling the play, obviously, well noted in a long time. Again, thankful to have been a part of it, disappointed that we didn't find a way to get it done.

We saw the reaction from your high school team after your first touchdown pass. What is it about this opportunity that you want to teach them, the kids, whatever about going for it? Why do you want to go for it when you know it could be failure on the other side?

Well, this isn't the motivation, but I do think that maybe there will be -- I think about my own boys, my own two sons. But certainly,there's a high school team I'm coaching. This isn't why I'm doing it. I know it comes with it. I know it is a story, and I know it is rare and all those things. But I didn't do that. I was enjoying myself down there being coach in South Alabama. These kind of things don't come up. Obviously this doesn't come up every day.

But I think maybe it will, I don't know, inspire or teach not to run or be scared of what may or may not happen, you know. Hopefully, certainly I think my sons and those ball players that I'm in charge of at the school that they'll see, like, crap, coach was here. Shoot, sometimes there is doubt and it's real. And, again, you can -- the guaranteed safe path is to go home or not to go for it. And the other one is, shoot, let's see what happens.

And so, yeah, I hope in that sense that it can be a positive to some young boys, or young people, not necessarily boys. But, again, that's not the motivation. But whatever God's will, I'm happy with. But certainly going to quickly turn my attention to the 49ers. I know they have a Monday night game. I never got to experience that either in that COVID year. And we're going to scratch and fight and claw. I do know that. Not because I'm here. But I do know that any team I've ever been a part of, not because of me, but I've been a part of, will fight like crazy until they tell us the season is over. So you can guarantee that for the next three weeks.

CB Kenny Moore ll

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On what he takes from a game where the defense kept Seattle out of the end zone

A hard-fought game, going against a really good Seattle team. It just wasn't enough today.

On his impressions of the play of Philip Rivers

Lot of respect for Phil (Rivers), everything he gave us this entire week. His determination, his passion, the fire that he played with is great to see. Just putting his body on the line. He doesn't have to do that, and I'm sure every guy in this locker room greatly appreciates that.

On Seattle's ability to come back late in the game

We're trying to play complementary ball as much as possible, offense helping our defense and special teams. We were trying to be complementary, giving each other a chance. Obviously we didn't get the ball out as much as possible on the defensive side to set up the offense for scoring drives. But the offense did a good job trying to get down in a way to set us up for a win. We just came up short.

On if it is all or nothing from this point forward

Yeah, all or nothing. We said after the bye week how it was going to be big to have a playoff stretch to conclude the regular season, so right now we've just got to stay positive and keep our approach to the game.

DT Grover Stewart

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On Philip Rivers

He came in ready to go, and he came in there and did what he had to do.

On if it felt like 2020 seeing him react to the Colts' touchdown

I'd say he's still got it, man. He came in, still throwing it, still slinging it. I was happy for him.

On how difficult it must be to look so well-prepared after three days of practice

I was real surprised. When he came in, with the juice he had, I knew he still had it.

On what he has done for the locker room

He brought a new vibe through here. He brought, like, some more energy, everybody fed up to it and we went out there and competed, played for him.

On what he can take from this game

We've just got to keep fighting, man. Keeping them from scoring, well, kicking field goals, and just keep going.

On where he finds confidence despite four straight losses

It's in the team, man. Nobody gave up. Everybody's willing to come in and work every week.

K Blake Grupe

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On his confidence kicking from 60 yards out

Those are the ones you live for. It's exactly why you play the game. That's exactly why you prepare all week, for opportunities like that. There was never a doubt in my mind. Everything had gone great throughout the warmups, throughout the week. All of the preparation was there.

On maintaining poise throughout games like today

I'm not going to act like I was completely poised out there, but just enough. I just kind of live in the moment. Embrace it, and I couldn't have asked for a much better opportunity to go out there with everybody today. For the whole game to play out the way it did, I thought we had it. Back to work and on to Monday night.

On how much the team has to fight moving forward

It's going to take more. Obviously, that's a good team we played against. Hell of a kick by Jason (Myers). I'm going to work with him in the offseason a little bit. For him to hit a 56 back the other way, what a play by him. We have to show some resilience and straight back to work on Wednesday.

WR Josh Downs

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On what Philip Rivers brings to the Colts organization

He's a great leader, and he's very smart. He does a lot of things right. I've never seen such a communicative person as him, which is a good thing. OG, future hall of famer, and you've got to respect him.

On if today felt different than last week with a different quarterback

We just have to prepare next week for the 49ers. A loss is a loss, but at the end of the day we believe in the guys in the locker room. So, we just need to come out next week, go through practice and go from there.

LB Zaire Franklin

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On how the team will carry tonight's defensive performance into the next three games

I mean, that's the standard. We've been working on being better on third down, we were better on third down today. We've been great in the red zone all season, stood that up again today. We've got to get the takeaway, got to make the big play. Give our offense that short field so we get in the endzone. Good things aside, I think we needed one more stop that we didn't get. We just have to go back to the drawing board and get better.

WR Alec Pierce

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On what Philip Rivers brought to the team this week

It's incredible seeing him operate, he is so smart. I know what the quirks and checks are, and what the defense is doing, and we are killing plays if there is some criteria. I was looking out there and I was like 'this is a good look for it', and he (Philip Rivers) said 'no, they are faking it'. I don't know how he knows all this stuff. I have to figure that out. He definitely has a lot of knowledge, and it's pretty special playing with him.

RB Jonathan Taylor

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On how he feels after a close loss

Close but no cigar. That's what this league comes down to, but you've got to find a way to finish those games. Those are the ones that hurt when you're right there; one or two plays here or there, but it sucks when you're close, right there. Those are the ones that hurt.

On how he felt the offense performed with Philip Rivers at QB

I mean he practiced three times in five years. He gave us a chance. We've got to make more plays. We've got to help him out. Like you said, given the circumstances we still had a chance, right there at the end. How do we make one or two more plays to just finish this and end up on the other side of this?

On the differences playing with Rivers now versus playing with him in 2020

It's kind of just getting used to him going into different checks. Anything and everything is available when you have Philip under center. If he's learned about it throughout the week, he's like 'Hey, I'm going to have this in my back pocket'. The playbook is pretty much open.

DE Laiatu Latu

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On how this loss feels

I wouldn't say the same because I feel like - I appreciate how we played on defense for sure. People going at it, three-and-outs, doing things that, you know, that we say, like what we want to get done while we're on the field. We get it done and get off. There's some little things that we can definitely fix up. I feel like I could have done a little better up front on certain plays and stuff like that. I would just say that this is another game that we've got to figure out what's going on.

On how he feels after keeping Seattle out of the endzone

I would think we would win the game too. I just, I felt really confident while we were out there. As a defense we're going to go out there and take over and get the offense the ball. As a team, collectively, we've got to come together and find out who we are.

On what happened on their last defensive drive

Shoot, I feel like we were lacking a little bit up front, especially on my part. I don't really know what to say. We've got to go back into the meeting, with our group especially, and figure out what we can do better.

RB Ameer Abdullah

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On how it felt to lose at the end of the game

Hats off to (Blake) Grupe. We see him work every day in practice. That dude can really kick the ball. We're feeling good, but we know how this game is. You've got to make the plays all the way through the game and we didn't do that.

On what Philip Rivers said to motivate the team after the Seahawks took the lead late

Begin again. No matter what happens next, we've got to set our mindset on beginning again. Next drive, next play, next opportunity. I think that's a good mantra for our team.

On how he established a connection with Rivers

Well, you know what, my first game was actually against him. There's definitely a connection, we're both from Alabama as well. Just communicating early in the morning; talking about how he saw the game, how he saw the structure of the defense, and just being ready to be an outlet for him. We were able to do that in certain spurts, but I think building on that as he gets another week under his belt is going to be an improvement for us.