Quarterback Anthony Richardson demonstrated on Sunday why the Indianapolis Colts chose him, showing he has one of the strongest arms in the NFL. However, Richardson also realized there was room for improvement.
Even though Richardson threw two touchdown passes over 50 yards and ran for a 3-yard touchdown in the late game of his second pro season, the Colts still couldn’t break their losing streak for Week 1.
“I want to be better as a player, so I’m always criticizing myself,” Richardson said after the 29-27 loss. “We were confident we could win, especially at home. We’ve got more games ahead and more chances to win.”
Richardson’s performance had highs and lows.
He dazzled with a 60-yard pass to Alec Pierce on his third throw of the game, despite slipping on the turf at Lucas Oil Stadium. He also made a 54-yard pass to Ashton Dulin in the second half and a 57-yard pass to Pierce, setting up his first touchdown run of the season and closing the gap to two points with 2:14 left.
But apart from those standout throws, he completed only 6 of 16 passes for 41 yards and threw a costly interception in the red zone. He also missed several chances for scoring throws to open receivers.
Richardson ran six times for 56 yards, including a tough fourth-down touchdown run. He was sacked twice, sometimes missed his receivers, and took a hard hit from Mario Edwards Jr. in the first quarter, which knocked off his helmet.
This hit might reignite discussions about Richardson needing to protect himself better, given his history of missing games due to injuries.
Richardson started and completed the game, matching his number of starts from last season, and he wasn’t upset about the hit.
“I love physical football,” he said. “That’s part of playing physical. Some people think it should be a penalty. I don’t know.”
