The second-year QB needed to take a step back and has since taken two steps forward with the help of his natural ability to rush the ball and avoid taking sacks.
Anthony Richardson struggled to find consistency prior to his infamous benching that followed a Week 8 loss to the Houston Texans. Fast-forward to three games after his elevation, Colts head coach Shane Steichen is utilizing Richardson in ways that have, in turn, helped instill a newfound confidence in the young quarterback.
Before he was benched, Anthony Richardson was looking a bit lost, especially when he’d drop back and become a passer. Through his first six starts of his sophomore campaign in the NFL, Richardson posted a 44.4 completion percentage to pair with a 4:7 TD-INT ratio.
Through his first ten starts in the NFL (four starts in ‘23, six starts prior to benching in ‘24), Richardson was among the likes of Jamarcus Russell, Akili Smith, and Ryan Leaf as his completion rate (50%) at the time ranked 222nd among the 225 QBs with 250+ dropbacks since the year 2000.
Richardson’s rocky start to the 2024 season wasn’t solely passing-based; his rushing production was uncharacteristically inefficient, though he was ramping up a bit in this area before he was ultimately benched.
According to Pro Football Focus, Anthony Richardson was the NFL’s 30th-graded passer (49.5) and the worst-graded rusher (49.9) among qualifying quarterbacks with 10+ rushing attempts through the first eight weeks and his first six starts of the season.
He may have been 7th among quarterbacks in rushing yards through the season’s first eight weeks, but Richardson’s one rushing touchdown and four fumbles briefly paint the picture of his inefficiency on the ground during that stretch.
Most notable of Richardson’s inconsistency on the ground to begin the year was that of his production and/or attempts, or lack thereof, on designed runs. Before the benching, Richardson gained 78 rushing yards on 22 designed runs (3.5 yards per carry), whereas after the elevation, and in admittedly half the games, he has gained 125 rushing yards on 17 designed runs (7.6 yards per carry).
Anthony Richardson’s rushing production has exploded following his benching.
Since he was elevated, Richardson leads all QBs with 125 yards on designed runs (7.6 yd avg compared to 3.5 in Wks 1-8). He’s also 1st in 10+ yd rushes & has the lowest scramble rate (10%) in that time. pic.twitter.com/rzkS5RzkFP
— Noah Compton (@nerlens_) December 4, 2024
While Richardson’s (and Steichen’s) reclamation of the QB run game has certainly played a big part in a strong stretch of starts following his elevation, Richardson’s legs have also helped him instill confidence into himself as a passer, or as he would say, “it opens up the offense a little bit more because the defense has to play both sides of the ball.”
Richardson still has just a 52.4 completion percentage since he returned as the Colts’ starting quarterback, but he’s seemingly started to settle down. Not to mention his league-leading 14% drop rate from his passcatchers, which ultimately contributes to his completion percentage. Richardson has a 3:3 TD-INT ratio but has mounted two game-winning drives in the last three weeks, showing great poise and command of the offense.
For your viewing pleasure: the longest game-winning drive since at least 2001.
Anthony Richardson and Co. went 80 yards on 19 plays, scoring on 4th & goal and sealing the game on the ensuing 2pt conversion. The #Colts offense converted all three of its 4th down attempts. pic.twitter.com/Gdw4hbCZdf
— Noah Compton (@nerlens_) December 2, 2024
Slowly but surely, Anthony Richardson is starting to put it all together. Since his return from the benching, Richardson is Pro Football Focus’ 6th-best graded (82.9) passer and the 8th-best graded (71.0) rushing quarterback.
The biggest development of Richardson’s sophomore season in the NFL comes from his vaunted ability to avoid sacks. This trait was always evident in Richardson as a prospect, but he’s been showcasing just how valuable this innate ability of his can be in the pros.
So far this season, Anthony Richardson has the 5th-best pressure-to-sack ratio (12.1%) among qualifying quarterbacks. For context as to just how well he’s avoided pressure this season, Richardson is being pressured at the 2nd-highest rate (42.1%) per Next Gen Stats yet remains in the top five of sack evasion.
Not only that, there have been three instances this season where a quarterback is pressured on 45%+ of his dropbacks in a game but has taken zero sacks: Anthony Richardson is two of them (Weeks 7 and 8).
One might fairly assume that a dual-threat quarterback like Richardson may tend to drift and create pressure for himself more often than his traditional pocket-passing counterparts; however, per Pro Football Focus, Richardson is T-12th with Kyler Murray in pressure allowed by a quarterback. This firmly sits in the middle half of starting quarterbacks leaguewide while being a lower rate than notably similar quarterbacking styles in Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen.
Shane Steichen claimed that the benching of Anthony Richardson was to humbly remind him of what it takes between the ears in order to progress further as an NFL quarterback, and so far, since his elevation, albeit in a small sample size, Richardson appears to be taking a leap. Whether or not that leap transcends this offense into a force to be reckoned with remains to be seen, though there’s plenty of promise to take from Richardson’s return thus far.
