Indianapolis Colts quarterback Philip Rivers has been playing through a toe injury he suffered in Week 11 against the Green Bay Packers and will have surgery following the season to get it corrected.
Though the injury will eventually lead to offseason surgery, Rivers is still expected to play the remainder of the season as he has in the last two weeks, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.
“Philip Rivers is expected to start today against the Texans, but this is a pretty serious toe injury he’s dealing with,” Rapoport said Sunday. “Turf toe is one way to describe it. I’m told it is more severe than that. It is a plantar plate rupture and he likely needs surgery after the season to repair it.”
Surgery isn’t a guarantee, though, as Joel A. Erickson of the Indianapolis Star reported that the “need for surgery hasn’t been determined yet.”
A source says Rivers is dealing with turf toe – the medical term is plantar plate rupture, so that fits the report that just came out – and says a need for surgery hasn’t been determined yet
— Joel A. Erickson (@JoelAErickson) December 6, 2020
Rivers has been able to play through the injury, but getting surgery in the offseason means it’s likely a more severe injury than we initially thought.
Rivers has been solid for the Colts this season. He has completed 67.3% of his passes for 2,978 yards, 16 touchdowns and nine interceptions.
The 38-year-old will be a free agent in the offseason, and it is unclear if the Colts will want to bring him back on another one-year deal.
