EAST RUTHERFORD, New Jersey – In the second quarter Sunday, Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson prepared to run a play just two yards from the Jets’ end zone.
Wide receiver Ashton Dulin jogged through the moving formation and at the snap of the ball, Richardson faked a pass to Dulin before reversing field. As soon as he took off, Jets defensive end Michael Clemons was in front of Richardson trying to take him down, only to be met with a stiff, fair arm that left him grasping at the air in pursuit.
As Richardson turned his shoulders toward the end zone, the only thing blocking his first rushing touchdown since Week 1 was safety Jalen Mills, a small obstacle for the 245-pound quarterback.
One touchdown turned into three before the end of the day as Richardson’s return to the lineup resulted in a 28-27 victory over the Jets and arguably his best game as a professional quarterback.
Two weeks sitting behind Joe Flacco may have been the reset Richardson needed even as the Colts continued to struggle and go in circles during the two weeks he was out. Week 11 saw a calm, cool and collected version of Richardson or, as he put it, relaxed.
“It felt good,” Richardson said with a touch of relief. “Today I did it play by play. I wasn’t even thinking about the last two weeks. I’m just thinking about where I am now. I was at MetLife Stadium today, so that’s where I try to keep my mindset.”
Richardson admitted that sitting behind Joe Flacco for two weeks was a bit beneficial, even if it wasn’t the way he wanted this season to start.
“It allowed me to relax a little bit, although I didn’t necessarily want to relax too much, but it allowed me to step back and clean up some things that I need to clean up,” Richardson said. “That was really my focus, when I got the opportunity again, to make sure I was the best I could be and that I was doing the right thing for the team.”
For the first time this season, Richardson finished the game with a completion rate of over 60% and was accurate and punctual at all levels of the field. He had a couple of fumbles, one of which was recovered by the Jets, but overall, this was the cleanest Richardson has looked in a long time, like a legitimate franchise-altering quarterback.
According to TruMedia, Richardson had his highest dropback success rate of the season at 46.9%, which is essentially at the level of elite quarterbacks. A momentary pause in his career didn’t mean a resurgence was impossible, and he accomplished that goal in the first game of his return.
“I don’t know if there’s any reward for me, but I just hope my teammates see that I’m willing to do anything for them,” Richardson said. “I am willing to risk my body to sacrifice anything on the field for them.
“But I definitely appreciate them for trusting me and believing in me throughout the entire process, regardless of what we were going through. Shout out to the coach, I simply appreciate all the support.”
Colts head coach Shane Steichen was optimistic after the game after watching his cyborg quarterback play like the playmaker they were envisioning when they took him with the fourth pick in the NFL Draft. 2023.
Steichen also noted that having Richardson back made his running game more dangerous, even though star running back Jonathan Taylor only had 57 yards on 24 carries. Both of Richardson’s rushing touchdowns came within five yards of the end zone, which is an element they’ve certainly been missing the last two weeks.
“When you have a quarterback that can run, obviously that balances out the running game when you have two guys back there,” Steichen said. “Obviously, he did a great job doing it. That touchdown at the end on the QB hanging around the edge was also key.”
One of the most incredible plays of Richardson’s game that showed what makes him different was an incomplete pass that landed out of bounds on a dropped throw. Richardson was deep in the backfield as a Jets defender tried to tackle him, but they just couldn’t. Richardson was completely in the hands of a fellow NFL player and simply continued scanning the field and moving toward the sideline until he decided to throw the ball.
For 99% of quarterbacks, it would have been a ridiculous moment, but for someone of his literal physical stature, he was able to survive.
“He had a few moments where the guy was hanging on to him and he ran away,” Steichen said. “Then it’s like, ‘Throw it in the trash.’ Oh, he holds on to the ball and says, ‘Throw it! Throw it away!’ And he took it off, which shows the strength he has.”
That’s the talent the Colts are banking on to truly stabilize the franchise for the first time since Andrew Luck’s abrupt retirement in 2018, six years ago at this point. This has been a tumultuous journey for the Colts and Richardson over the past few weeks, but it appears the trip to East Rutherford was the antidote to the symptoms that brought them to this point. Richardson was accurate, decisive and made several big plays through the air that showed his potential truly is limitless.
In Richardson’s 11th career start, he defended many more starts and is aiming toward being the Colts’ long-term starting quarterback. That’s good for Richardson, the Colts and the league as a whole. When he’s at his best, there simply aren’t many entities in the entire sport that have the same amount of horsepower.