The Indianapolis Colts have not given up on Anthony Richardson, after all.
On Wednesday, Colts head coach Shane Steichen told reporters that Richardson will be the team’s starting quarterback in Sunday’s game against the New York Jets. Steichen said the goal with benching Richardson was to have the former first-round pick take a step back and pay closer attention to detail, and the Colts feel Richardson has done that.
Steichen added that Richardson will start over veteran Joe Flacco for the remainder of the season.
When Richardson was benched in Week 9, Steichen said the move was made because Flacco gave the Colts their best chance to win. The coach made it seem like Flacco could remain the starter for the rest of the season, and the 39-year-old likely would have kept the job had he played well enough.
Flacco threw three interceptions in the Colts’ 30-20 loss to the Buffalo Bills last Sunday. He also threw an interception in Indy’s loss to the Minnesota Vikings in Week 9, which has made it challenging for Steichen to justify choosing Flacco over giving Richardson valuable game reps.
Richardson has made 10 starts across his two NFL seasons. He has completed 44.4% of his passes this year and 50.2% overall. The former Florida star was criticized for subbing himself from a crucial play in Week 8. Richardson made the mistake of admitting he took himself out of the 23-20 loss to the Houston Texans because he was ‘tired.’
The bottom line is the Colts still want to see what they have in Richardson. While he has not played well through his first two NFL seasons, he is just 22 and has infinitely more upside than Flacco.
