Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson addressed Shane Steichen’s decision to bench him ahead of Sunday night’s prime-time game against the Minnesota Vikings. Richardson, drafted fourth overall in 2023, was benched after going just 10 of 32 passing in the Week 8 loss to the Houston Texans.
Joe Flacco, who has played in three games this season for the Colts, will be the starter “going forward,” according to the Colts head coach.
“Of course it hurts,” Richardson told the media on Wednesday. “As a competitor, definitely don’t wanna be told that you’re not the guy anymore for the upcoming week. But it’s all good. Using the moment as an opportunity to grow and just learn from my mistakes.”
The Colts’ decision to bench Richardson came two days after the young signal-caller admitted that he took himself out of Sunday’s game after getting fatigued. Steichen said that incident wasn’t the reason why he decided to bench Richardson.
Richardson added Steichen didn’t necessarily explain his reasoning behind the quarterback change. One can assume that Richardson’s accuracy issues is a primary reason why a change was made.
Sunday was a microcosm for the type of year it’s been so far for Richardson, who played in just four games as a rookie before suffering a season-ending injury. In addition to completing just 31.3% of his passes, Richardson was also sacked five times in Sunday’s loss. He also lost one of his two fumbles.
Richardson has won three of his six starts this season, but he is completing just 44.4% of his passes (down from last year’s 59.5%) and has more interceptions (7) than touchdown passes (4).
The Colts will now turn things over to Flacco, who has played significantly better than Richardson during his time under center this season. In two games, the reigning NFL Comeback Player of the Year has completed 65.7% of his passes with seven touchdowns against just one interception. He also led the Colts to an upset win over the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 4 after Richardson left the game with an injury in the first quarter.
Despite Richardson’s struggles, the Colts are currently 4-4 and in second place in the AFC South division standings. The Colts’ situation is similar to the one Flacco found himself in last year with the Browns. Last fall, Flacco led the Browns to a surprising playoff berth after replacing an injured Deshaun Watson. He’ll now look to make similar magic this season for the Colts.
How does the quarterback change the possible trajectory of the Colts’ season? The Colts are projected to win 8.5 games this season with Flacco, as opposed to 7.5 games with Richardson, according to SportsLine data scientist Stephen Oh. Indianapolis’ playoff odds more than double with Flacco, from 21.2% to 42.3%, according to Oh.
While Richardson is being sidelined for Sunday’s game, the benching does not signal the end of his time in Indianapolis. The Colts are hoping that Richardson can use this time to sit, learn and grow while continuing to help the team in other ways.
“Tough,” Steichen said when asked how Richardson took the news. “Anytime you get that news is tough. To lose, to not be the starter anymore, it’s tough. But you know what, I think he’s going to handle it the right way going forward. Be a professional about it, grind, get ready, prepare like you are the starter, because, shoot, he’s still one play away.”
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