Joe Flacco will make his fourth start of the season in Richardson’s absence, with Sam Ehlinger serving as the backup quarterback. Sunday will be Flacco’s seventh appearance and fourth start of the season. He has completed 66.5 percent of his passes for 1,167 yards and nine touchdowns, along with five interceptions this year.
Richardson has been dealing with back and foot soreness all week, which sidelined him from practice, per Rapoport. Specifically, Richardson’s mobility and movement have been limited by back spasms, according to Joel Erickson of The Indianapolis Star. There was optimism earlier in the week that the second-year quarterback could play on Sunday, per ESPN’s Stephen Holder, but his lack of participation in Friday’s practice indicated otherwise.
Sunday’s game will be Richardson’s fifth absence of the season, and it could not come at a worse time for the Colts, who could be eliminated from playoff contention this week. If that happens, Indianapolis may opt to shut down its young quarterback altogether to give him a head start on healing up and preparing for the 2025 season.
Richardson’s durability has been a concern since he entered the league due to his physical playing style. He played in just four games as a rookie in 2024 before landing on injured reserve with a Grade 3 AC joint sprain. This year, an oblique injury sidelined him in Weeks 5 and 6 before trouble arose with his back and foot later in the season.
Richardson admitted on Tuesday that his 86 rushing attempts (fifth-most among quarterbacks) have taken a toll on him physically.
“From the start of the season, you’re going to feel those hits the next day,” Richardson said, via Holder. “In college I didn’t really get sore. But the NFL, it’s a different breed, different game. You have some grown men out there playing football, so it’s always a little different getting tackled by those guys.”
Richardson’s durability isn’t the only concern surrounding his lack of availability. He was considered a raw quarterback prospect when the Colts selected him with the fourth overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.
With just 13 starts and a 54.7 percent completion rate in college, most evaluators believed that Richardson would need consistent playing time to kick-start his development in the pros. As he approaches the end of his second NFL season, the former Florida standout has played in just 15 games with a 50.6 percent completion rate and an 11:13 touchdown-to-interception ratio.
