The Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson has significantly improved since he was benched for Joe Flacco earlier this season. The Colts decided to bench Richardson and promote the veteran Flacco to starting quarterback, forcing Richardson to earn his spot back. The decision was heavily criticized, but it now appears to have helped Richardson’s development. The Colts have won two of their last three with Anthony Richardson starting, holding a record of 6-7. Richardson’s performance has been a huge factor in their wins, and they look to continue winning to compete for a spot in the NFL Playoffs.
Anthony Richardson’s Benching
Anthony Richardson is a boom-or-bust quarterback. He can uncork deep passes downfield that rival the best arms in the NFL. He is also mobile, avoids sacks, and picks up crucial yards with his legs. However, he also tends to miss the easy stuff. Richardson’s accuracy is questionable at best, with a completion percentage that is not encouraging to most scouts and coaches. But the potential with Richardson is so high that it would be criminal not to try and live with the missteps. If he can hit an impossible throw or make a game-changing run, that is someone a team would want on the field. The only issue is cleaning up the mistakes.
Anthony Richardson’s mistakes did pile up earlier this season. His constant running meant he was taking hits and getting injured. In his rookie season, Richardson missed significant time due to injury. He has been taken out of multiple games this season for taking hits. He also missed a string of games where Joe Flacco started due to injury. And when Anthony Richardson finally came back healthy in week seven, he did not look great. His completion percentages were still low, and in a game against the Houston Texans, Richardson appeared to sub himself out after taking a hit.
This was the final nail in the coffin for Shane Steichen and the Indianapolis Colts front office. Anthony Richardson was benched in favor of Joe Flacco, who started for two games. But even with Flacco, the Colts’ offense did not show much improvement. The Colts went 0-2 in this stretch, losing to the Minnesota Vikings and the Buffalo Bills. Flacco threw for 179 and 272 yards, which is not much of an improvement over what Anthony Richardson was doing, if at all. So, Richardson was named the starter once again and the Colts hoped he had learned his lesson.
Anthony Richardson’s Improvements
Since returning to the starting role, Anthony Richardson has looked better. The mistakes are still there, but he is much more poised and confident. The benching seems to have done its job in lighting a fire under Richardson. The Colts are 2-1 since Richardson was renamed as the starter and in those wins, he has led two game-winning drives. Against the New York Jets, he threw for 272 yards and a touchdown, completing 66.7% of his passes. He also ran for 32 yards and two touchdowns. This included a six-play, seventy-yard drive capped off with a Richardson touchdown run to give the Colts the win.
Then, this past week against the New England Patriots, Anthony Richardson led another game-winning drive. He did not have his best performance, throwing two interceptions. But, on the final drive, Richardson and the Colts marched down the field. He threw a touchdown pass to Alec Pierce on 4th and Goal and ran in the two-point conversion himself. Richardson has given the Indianapolis Colts a spark of life. His benching has lit a new fire that has helped the Colts improve to 6-7. Heading into their bye week, the Colts hope to keep winning with Anthony Richardson and push for a playoff spot.
