NFL
By: Rick O’Donnell
The Indianapolis Colts are turning to backup QB Joe Flacco for their matchup Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings. On Sunday, against a division rival, Richardson took himself out of the game due to fatigue. The Colts would go on to lose 23-20 against the Houston Texans when a win could’ve put them on top of the division. So the question has to be asked, did the Colts turn away from Richardson because he’s struggling, or was this punishment for his lack of passion with the division on the line?
So far this season, Richardson has had mixed results. If Richardson never took himself out of the game, would the Colts still have his feet firmly planted as QB1? Up through their game with the Texans, Richardson has more yards and attempts than Joe Flacco, but the veteran QB has been outperforming him. Flacco has thrown 108 passes to Richardson’s 133.
He’s completed 71 (65.7) to Richardson’s 59 (44.4). Flacco is averaging 20 yards more per game at 179 to Richardson’s 159 but that’s not the deciding line. Anthony Richardson has thrown just 4 touchdowns to 7 interceptions whereas Flacco has thrown 7 TDs to 1 INT. As a fan, you can put all your stock into a younger player all you want but with the division on the line, you have to go with whichever quarterback is playing better. Even if Richardson didn’t take himself out of the game, he’s being outplayed by his backup.
If the Colts beat the Texans, both teams would be sitting at 5-3 right now. Instead, Indianapolis is now 4-4 and two games behind their division lead with a tough schedule coming up. Take the controversy of taking himself out of the game from the equation. When you’re two games behind the division lead and have games against the 5-2 Minnesota Vikings, the 6-2 Buffalo Bills, the 6-1 Detroit Lions, and the 5-3 tricky Denver Broncos.
As a coach, are you starting the QB completing 44% of his passes and who has almost twice as many interceptions as he does TDs just because he’s a young guy who you drafted to be the face of the franchise? If you are, that’s where you’d be doomed to fail. If you’re not out of the division race and you have tough games coming up, you’re probably taking the guy who the offense has a spark under, completes 65% of his passes, and scores more than he turns the ball over.
Yes, Anthony Richardson taking himself out of the game wasn’t a good look, but at the end of the day, he wasn’t putting the Colts in the best position to win either.
