Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson was injured when he learned he was being benched.
His replacement, 39-year-old Joe Flacco, tried to keep things in perspective.
One day after the news that Richardson, the No. 4 pick in the 2023 draft, had been demoted, coach Shane Steichen told reporters that Flacco would be the starter for the rest of the season for one main reason.
“It’s my obligation to 53 guys and to this organization to win football games,” Steichen said Wednesday in his first comments since the change. “Tough decision, but one I felt was in the best interest of our football team.
I feel Joe gives us the best chance to win right now. With that being said, not giving up on Anthony (Richardson) by any means.”
The Colts (4-4) drafted Richardson to end their long search for a stable quarterback, hoping he would be the team’s long-term answer. However, the 22-year-old has faced challenges with both his performance and health.
His completion rate of 44.4% is the lowest in the NFL this season, and he has thrown four touchdown passes and seven interceptions. His nine total turnovers are tied for the third most in the league, despite missing two games due to a right hip injury.
Seeing Richardson on the sidelines isn’t new. He has missed 15 of the 25 games in his career and has completed only five of his 10 career starts, mainly due to various injuries, including season-ending surgery on his throwing shoulder last October.
Then came Sunday’s game.
Houston (6-2) capitalized on a poor decision by Richardson, intercepting a bad pass into double coverage in the final minute of the first half. The Texans quickly turned the turnover into a touchdown and won 23-20, taking a two-game lead in the AFC South and sweeping the season series against Indy.
Worse yet, Richardson briefly left the game in the second half after tapping his helmet to signal he needed a break. Although he came back on the next series, his decision to leave—on what Steichen said would be a handoff—was heavily criticized. Richardson admitted he made a mistake, though he didn’t specify when he realized it was wrong.
“Regarding that play, I know I can’t do that as a leader, especially as a quarterback of this team,” Richardson said. “As a football player in general, I can’t necessarily just take myself out of the game like that, especially in key moments like that. But you live and you learn. You’ve just got to grow from it.”
As a result, Indy is benching one of the youngest, least-experienced quarterbacks in the league and turning to one of the oldest.
Flacco, last year’s AP NFL Comeback Player of the Year and the Super Bowl 47 MVP, has already made two starts and has a 2-1 record in his three appearances with the Colts.
He has completed 71 of 108 passes (65.7%) for 716 yards, seven touchdowns, and one interception. His quick decision-making has helped keep Indy’s offense on the field more consistently.
With the Colts still in the playoff hunt, Flacco seems capable of leading another team on a postseason run, just as he did with the Cleveland Browns last season. But his biggest contribution to helping Richardson grow may be sharing insights that only a few other NFL quarterbacks can provide.
“The thing we have to remember here is Anthony is really young. I know that when I was that young, there’s no chance I would have been able to have the perspective and just the right head on my shoulders to handle it and take it the right way,” Flacco said.
“Being this is my 17th year, I do have that perspective. So this doesn’t have to be a negative thing. There are a lot of positives on his end that can come from this.”
Still, this is a big change for Steichen, who just last week told reporters he needed to help Richardson with better play-calling. At that time, the Colts seemed set on letting Richardson learn from his mistakes, regardless of the outcome.
What changed? Steichen said the decision to switch quarterbacks had nothing to do with Richardson taking himself out of Sunday’s game because he was “tired” and was more about what was best for the Colts.
Still, it surprised the calm and steady Richardson.
“Of course, it hurts,” he said. “As a competitor, you definitely don’t want to be told that you’re not the guy anymore for the upcoming week, but it’s all good. I’m using this moment as an opportunity to grow and just learn from my mistakes.”
For now, it’s Flacco’s job to lose.
“I’m fired up man,” Flacco said. “Anytime you get a chance to play football in this league, you have to count yourself as blessed. I really feel very fortunate to be with this team and be in this situation and I’m excited to get it done.”
