Colts make surprising major change ahead of Week 11

Aug 12, 2023; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Indianapolis Colts head coach Shane Steichen looks to the scoreboard in the third quarter against the Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports

The Indianapolis Colts have not given up on Anthony Richardson, after all.

Colts head coach Shane Steichen told reporters on Wednesday that Richardson will be the team’s starting quarterback in Sunday’s game against the New York Jets. Steichen said the goal with benching Richardson was to have the former first-round pick take a step back and pay closer attention to detail, and the Colts feel Richardson has done that.

Shane Steichen opens with addressing Anthony Richardson's process: "What I mean is the attention to detail just needs to be higher… And over the last 2 weeks he's made strides in those areas."

— Stephen Holder (@HolderStephen) November 13, 2024

Steichen added that the plan is for Richardson to start over veteran Joe Flacco for the remainder of the season.

When Richardson was benched in Week 9, Steichen said the move was made because Flacco gave the Colts their best chance to win. The coach also made it seem like Flacco could remain the starter for the rest of the season, and the 39-year-old likely would have kept the job had he played well enough.

Flacco threw three interceptions in the Colts’ 30-20 loss to the Buffalo Bills last Sunday. He also threw an interception in Indy’s loss to the Minnesota Vikings in Week 9, which has made it tough for Steichen to justify choosing Flacco over giving Richardson valuable game reps.

Richardson has made 10 starts across his two NFL seasons. He has completed just 44.4% of his passes this year and 50.2% overall. The former Florida star drew intense criticism for subbing himself out of a crucial play in Week 8. Richardson made the mistake of admitting he took himself out of the 23-20 loss to the Houston Texans because he was tired.

The bottom line is the Colts still want to see what they have in Richardson. While he has not played well through his first two NFL seasons, he is still just 22 and has infinite more upside than Flacco.