Fans got a taste of what could be expected going foward, and boy, was it nice.
The Indianapolis Colts appeared to be at a crossroads three weeks ago. The future of the franchise found himself on the bench in favor of the steady hand of a veteran presence. It seemed that the “Anthony Richardson Experience” was over, and it didn’t seem to sit right with the majority of fans. Many didn’t doubt that some additional discipline and commitment to the cause could be necessary because the results on the field didn’t translate to a player destined to lead the team for the next ten plus years. If polled, however, that same fan base wasn’t willing to move on as quickly as the team seemed to be. Fast-forward a few weeks and Richardson found himself back as the starting quarterback. While it was just one week, the results were something to get excited about.
Accuracy was the biggest knock on Richardson’s game, especially so far this year. To be honest, he was downright awful in that department. Sunday saw him complete 66% of his attempts on a variety of throws. Out of games he completed, that number only reached 50% twice and bottomed out in his last start against the Texans at 31%. He made all the throws too. There were short dumps, throws over the middle, and completions along the sideline. Additionally, he set a season high in passing with 272-yards. Throw in one passing and two rushing touchdowns and those are numbers I can get behind.
Let’s go ahead and talk about rushing. I am not sure if Shane Steichen was holding back on using Richardson as a runner due to his previous injuries, but it is difficult to draft someone similar to Cam Newton and use him like Philip Rivers. Richardson’s strength is his legs. While, I want to see more development in the pocket as a passer, what makes him unique and truly dangerous are his legs. While he didn’t really break any big runs, we saw him take off ten times. The coaching staff trusted his legs and durability twice near the goal line, and they were rewarded both times as Richardson plowed into the endzone banging into defenders as he went.
It was just one game, but you have to like what you saw. The time on the bench might have done Anthony Richardson a world of good. I personally, never had an issue with the benching; just the way the team went about it. The key now is to string performances like this together. Week by week, Richardson needs to continue putting in the work and demonstrating that preparation on the field. The game plan we saw on Sunday worked. Play smart, but use his gifts. Couple the throws we saw last week with his running ability and big body and no one can stop him but Richardson himself.
