Anthony Richardson missed a chance to play in front of his hometown fans two weeks ago when the Indianapolis Colts faced Jacksonville. He’s looking forward to another opportunity to play against a home-state team when the Miami Dolphins come to town on Sunday.
Richardson might not know for sure until pregame warmups, but all signs indicate that the second-year quarterback will return from his right hip injury this week.
“I’m able to move better, without any worries. Just confident in all of the movements, throwing the ball — confident with that,” Richardson said before Wednesday’s practice, which was his first full workout since leaving the Week 4 game against Pittsburgh. “Just running around out there practicing, I’m confident with all that.
So, I’d probably say that’s the biggest difference.”
This is good news for the Colts (3-3), who are trying to keep pace with the Houston Texans (5-1) in the AFC South. It’s even better for Richardson, whose health has been under increasing scrutiny after missing 15 of his 23 NFL games and finishing only four of the eight he has played.
There have been many questions about him taking avoidable hits, along with concerns about his low completion percentage and the number of interceptions he has thrown. Some are even wondering if he’s the best choice to help the Colts make the playoffs.
“You’ve just got to be smart. I mean of course, with injuries, you’re always liable to re-damage and get injured again, but sometimes you’ve just got to be like, ‘I don’t care’ because sometimes the team needs you,” Richardson said. “If you’re able to do it without any major setbacks, then why not try to do it?”
Fortunately for the Colts, if Richardson can’t help them secure a fourth win in five games, they can rely on 39-year-old Joe Flacco, who has guided the Colts to victories in two of his three appearances.
The Dolphins (2-3) definitely understand the situation. Since starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa went on injured reserve after suffering another concussion in a Week 2 loss to Buffalo, they have been trying to adjust.
Skylar Thompson started in Week 3, and Tyler Huntley has been the starter for Miami’s last two games. The Dolphins have a 1-2 record during this time, scoring a total of just 30 points. Even receiver Tyreek Hill has struggled, making 13 catches for 132 yards.
However, a week off could make a big difference. “It was great to have the bye week when we did,” Huntley said. “It gave us time to get a break. I got time to move into my house, got settled in and was able to get into my playbook.”
Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel was a fan of Richardson even before he joined the Colts.
“I was like, ‘Wow, I haven’t seen that, really big, fast and has a cannon,’” McDaniel said, talking about Richardson’s performance in college at Florida. “You have to play team defense. Any time you have to play team defense to minimize the impact of a player, that speaks to the player.”
Miami safety Jevon Holland mentioned Richardson’s 60-yard touchdown pass to Alec Pierce in Week 1 as an example of what he can do to challenge defenses.
“A lot of the times, deep balls like that, you kind of just kick it,” Holland said. “It gets to a point where you’re already back there covering and the receiver keeps running and you’re kind of like, ‘All right, the quarterback is not going to throw it, he’s too far.’ But with a quarterback with a cannon like that, you’ve got to just keep on going back.”
