On Wednesday, Indianapolis Colts head coach Shane Steichen insisted that his decision to bench starting quarterback Anthony Richardson in favor of backup Joe Flacco had nothing to do with Richardson going to the sidelines for one play during this past Sunday’s loss to the Houston Texans because the second-year pro was “tired.”
Richardson later accepted responsibility for the moment many believe resulted in Flacco getting the nod for this Sunday night’s matchup between 4-4 Indianapolis and the 5-2 Minnesota Vikings.
“Regarding that play, I know I can’t do that as a leader, especially as a quarterback of this team. Especially as a football player in general,” Richardson said about tapping out against Houston, as shared by Nick Shook of the NFL’s website. “I can’t just bring myself out of the game like that, especially in key moments like that. But you live and you learn. Just gotta grow from it.”
Multiple former NFL players publicly ripped Richardson for exiting a game due to fatigue.
Being relegated to QB2 duties is just the latest frustrating development for the fourth overall pick of the 2023 NFL Draft, who thus far has made just 10 career regular-season starts and who was previously labeled by some as “injury-prone” before he left much to be desired with his play.
According to Pro Football Reference, Richardson began Wednesday ranked last in the NFL with a 57.2 passer rating, a 32.4% passing success rate and a 44.4% completion percentage on the season. He indicated on Wednesday that he’ll use the benching “as an opportunity to grow and learn from [his] mistakes.”
It appears Richardson could spend the next couple of months growing and learning, as Steichen said on Wednesday that Flacco will be his QB1 “going forward.” Richardson may not take another meaningful snap this season as long as Flacco stays healthy and plays as well as he did with the Cleveland Browns during the 2023 campaign.
“Of course it hurts,” Richardson added about the benching. “As a competitor, definitely don’t want to be told I’m not the guy anymore for the upcoming week.”
