Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson reaping tour dates amid sophomore slump

The Indianapolis Colts lost the turnover battle in Sunday’s 23-20 defeat in Houston, plus the season-opener in September and last season’s finale for the AFC South crown in January.

Close, but no cigar.

The Indianapolis Colts lost the turnover battle in Sunday’s 23-20 defeat in Houston, plus the season-opener in September and last season’s finale for the AFC South crown in January.

Another critical giveaway in the final drive of the first half proved to be catastrophic as Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson forced his throw a tad late at the sticks, which allowed Texans’ safety Jalen Pitre to perfectly jump the route and pick it off. An outrageous play call, coupled with Richardson’s poor throwing decision led to Pitre’s interception, which ultimately gave the Texans (6-2) an opportunity to score a touchdown and take a 17-10 lead before halftime. If a college QB were to force a turnover in the fashion Richardson did in the final minute of the first half, he might have gotten benched at halftime.

Indianapolis’ impotent offense ranks dead last in the NFL in average time of possession (26:01) and seems incapable of sustaining drives. It took over 50 minutes for the Colts to move the sticks on third down after the offense started 0-for-9. Seven of the Colts’ final nine legitimate drives featured five punts, the aforementioned interception and a lost fumble from a strip-sack to deny any chance of a potential walk-off prayer. Entering Sunday, Richardson was sacked just four times in 116 drop backs. The Texans sacked Richardson five times, including on the final play of the game as the Colts tried to set up a Hail Mary heave from midfield.

Perhaps the most condemning takeaway was the 22-year-old QB was so “tired” that he decided to take himself out of the game while trailing in the third quarter. No one is buying that. Richardson must learn how to fly through the turbulence of an NFL game. It’s a heavy burden after his tenth NFL start, but it comes with the territory of being an franchise signal caller.

Richardson has completed 10 or less passes in five of six games played this season and his game log is beginning to resemble potential tour dates for Big Vo, his rap moniker. In two games against the Texans, he completed just 37% of his 51 pass attempts. In three home wins, he went 10-of-20 passing against the Bears, completed 3-of-4 passes before exiting against the Steelers and finished 10-of-24 against the Dolphins. His 44% completion percentage ranks dead last among starters and 57th among 60 NFL QBs who have attempted a pass this season.

There was a glimpse of hope once Richardson hit a career-long 69-yard passing touchdown to receiver Josh Downs to give Indianapolis (4-4) its only lead in the final minute of the first quarter. The pair connected much later as Downs leaped backwards to haul in a 25-yard catch just short of the goal line in the fourth quarter. Downs collected four catches on nine targets and led the Colts with a game-high 109 receiving yards.

Colts star running back Jonathan Taylor flourished in his return to the gridiron after missing the last three weeks dealing with another nagging ankle injury. Indianapolis executed an excellent play design to start the second half as left guard Quenton Nelson pulled to become a lead blocker for Taylor, then bulldozed over Texans cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. as Taylor raced toward the far sideline for a 13-yard gain.

Perhaps Taylor’s best highlight gave the Colts enough momentum to surge within one score late in the third quarter. After the Colts marched inside Texans territory, Taylor escaped out of the backfield and burst left past defenders before getting tackled at the Texans’ 10-yard line for a 28-yard gain, which was the longest run from any carrier Sunday’s affair. Taylor capped off Indy’s longest drive – an 11-play, 70-yard scoring drive – with a one-yard TD to cut the deficit to a field goal with 8:32 left to play. He finished with a game-high 105 rushing yards on 20 carries, averaging 5.3 yards per carry. His streak of four consecutive games with at least 100 rushing yards is the longest streak in the NFL.

Indianapolis is 0-4 when losing the turnover battle this season and unbeaten when forcing more takeaways than allowing giveaways. The Colts may ride this plan until the wheels fall off and if heads need to roll in the off-season, so be it. Critics may say it’s deserving when considering how terrible the off-season plan has turned out as there are significant doubts of any improvement on both sides of the football. Indianapolis’ offense has yet to discover its identity before the most brutal stretch of its schedule. The Colts travel to Minnesota for a prime-time showdown next Sunday night, with intentions to bounce back and deliver a third consecutive loss to the Vikings (5-2).