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Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson has had a rough start to his second NFL season.
He may have lost his job after Sunday’s performance in the loss to the Houston Texans.
Head coach Anthony Steichen was asked twice on Monday if Richardson is still the Colts’ starting quarterback.
“Right now, today it is, yes.” Steichen said.
Steichen was then asked to clarify whether Richardson would start next Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings.
“We are evaluating” Steichen responded.
So maybe.
The Colts rolled the dice when selecting Richardson
The Colts selected Richardson with the fourth pick in the 2023 NFL draft based almost strictly on the advantages of his tremendous arm strength and athleticism. After just one season as Florida’s full-time starter in 2022, it was clear that Richardson was a raw prospect with major concerns about his accuracy.
Richardson completed just 53.8% of his passes in his final college season. But he tempted NFL scouts with an SEC-best 14.5 yards per completion and 654 rushing yards on 6.3 yards per carry with nine rushing touchdowns.
Richardson has regressed in his second season in the NFL
The book on Richardson said that if he could develop his accuracy, he would become one of the most dangerous weapons in the NFL. It’s a path Josh Allen took to become one of the league’s best quarterbacks after similar concerns about his accuracy followed him back to Wyoming.
Ten games into his NFL career, Richardson has shown few signs of development. In fact, it has gone backwards. Richardson’s rookie campaign was limited to four games due to multiple injuries. But he showed his potential by averaging 5.4 yards per carry and 11.5 yards per completion. His 59.5% completion percentage left room for improvement.
In six games as a starter this season, Richardson has taken a step back, and the concerns that followed him from Florida have only been exacerbated. The deep balls are there. Richardson leads the league with 16.2 yards per completion and has thrown multiple notable touchdown passes. But his 44.4% completion percentage is not commensurate with that of an NFL backup, much less a starter. Neither is his 4-to-7 touchdown-to-interception ratio.
More fights on Sunday
The first half of Sunday produced a new low. Richardson completed just 2 of 15 passes before halftime against Houston. It was the complete experience for Richardson, as one of his two completions was a 69-yard touchdown pass to Josh Downs.
Richardson finished the day completing 10 of 32 passes (31.3%) for 175 yards with a touchdown and an interception that put the Texans inside the Indianapolis 10-yard line before halftime.
The Texans turned the turnover into a touchdown and won the game, 23-20.
Richardson made matters worse by briefly leaving the game in the third quarter. It wasn’t so much his leaving the game that raised concern, but rather his post-game explanation.
“Tired, I’m not going to lie,” Richardson told reporters of his departure. “What I did was I ran a lot and I didn’t think I was going to be able to go to the next play. So I told (head coach Shane Steichen) I needed a break right there.”
Would Richardson benefit from some time on the bench?
Substitute Joe Flacco entered the game for one play after Richardson’s exit on third-and-goal in the third quarter. It was Flacco’s fourth appearance this season, including two starts when Richardson was injured.
The Colts’ offense has fared better under Flacco, who completed 65.7% of his passes for 7.5 yards per attempt with seven touchdowns and one interception this season. The Colts are 4-4 and are not out of the playoff race in the AFC.
Meanwhile, Richardson was thrown into the fire as an NFL starter from Day 1 despite being a raw prospect. Would he and the Colts mutually benefit from a midseason quarterback change that allows him to learn and develop off the bench?