Anthony Richardson showed both promise and struggles during the Colts’ 24-6 loss to the Detroit Lions on Sunday.
He had some impressive moments, using his strong arm that impressed NFL scouts when he played at Florida. However, there were also inaccurate throws, risky decisions, and mistakes that led to his benching just a few weeks ago.
Not all of the Colts’ mistakes were Richardson’s fault. The team committed a season-high 10 penalties, had several dropped passes, and struggled to move the ball on the ground except for some impressive runs by Richardson himself.
These issues contributed to the predictable result — a 24-6 loss to the NFC North-leading Lions. This loss followed Richardson’s comeback win in Week 11, where he helped the Colts reclaim the starting quarterback role.
“We lost, so it wasn’t good enough,” Richardson said when asked about his performance. “We’ve just got to get back to the drawing board and get into the details and just be better as a whole.”
The Colts need to improve their red zone performance, like they did in their 28-27 win over the New York Jets the previous week. But against a team like the Lions, sustaining drives and reaching the end zone was a challenge again, contributing to the Colts’ second straight home loss and their fourth loss in five games. Their playoff hopes are now fading.
One of the biggest mistakes came in the second quarter when tight end Drew Ogletree dropped a pass on the goal line, which would have given the Colts a 10-7 lead. Instead, they trailed 7-6 and didn’t score again.
There were other setbacks, too. After receiver Ashton Dulin failed to catch a long pass, Richardson almost got sacked for a safety and lost the ball, but the officials ruled his arm was moving forward, preventing a touchdown return by the Lions. Another potential big play came when Josh Downs caught a long pass, but Alec Pierce was called for offensive pass interference, negating the play.
For Richardson and the Colts, it was a tough day.
“We were there in some tough situations with him,” coach Shane Steichen said. “You know, first-and-20, second-and-long. Those are hard to overcome sometimes, but I thought he battled crazy throughout the game as hard as it was.”
Richardson’s numbers weren’t very impressive — 11 of 28 passing for 172 yards, with no touchdowns, no interceptions, and no sacks, along with 10 carries for 61 yards. The rest of the team only rushed for 35 yards, which made it even harder for Richardson to succeed.
With five games remaining in the season, Richardson faces an important test. Only one of the remaining teams, Denver, had a winning record to start Week 12. This stretch of games will give Richardson a chance to prove his growth and whether he’s on the right path.
“Playing quarterback, you’ve got to be able to maneuver in the pocket, make the pocket work, regardless of what’s going on up front, just finding lanes to get the ball to the receivers,” Richardson said. “But Detroit has a great defense and they did a great job of bringing those guys. But I feel like I could have made some better plays right there.”
