Getty Image / Perry Knotts
The Indianapolis Colts are very much still in the thick of things in the AFC playoff picture at 4-4. But, the quarterback situation more specifically Anthony Richardson’s poor play, has put head coach Shane Steichen in a tough position.
Anthony Richardson was awful in Sunday’s loss to the Houston Texans, and Joe Flacco has played well this season when Richardson missed time due to injury. But, Steichen remained noncommittal about what he’s going to do at quarterback for their upcoming game on Sunday Night Football against the Vikings.
Richardson struggled mightily on Sunday. He came into the game with a 48% completion percentage, by far the worst in the league. And, it went down once again, as he started just 2/15 in the first half en route to a 10/32 finish overall. He did muster 175 yards on those ten completions, but that’s a really untenable completion percentage. You simply can’t run an NFL offense like that.
Joe Flacco, on the other hand, has been very efficient this year. He’s completed over 65% of his passes for 716 yards, 7 touchdowns, and 1 interception. He’s definitely the better player right now. But, it’s more complicated than that.
The Colts are probably not good enough to make a deep playoff run with either quarterback. So, Shane Steichen and management has to consider the long-term development of Anthony Richardson. He was the fourth-overall pick in 2023, and has shown flashes. Frankly, dating back to his time at Florida, he hasn’t played a lot of football. He needs game reps. But, he’s not the guy that gives them the best chance to win.
Right now, Steichen is noncommittal.
I asked #Colts HC Shane Steichen if QB Anthony Richardson is the team's starting QB:
"Today he is, yes."
Is he the starting QB for Sunday's game against the #Vikings:
"We're evaluating." | @TheAthleticNFL
— James Boyd (@RomeovilleKid) October 28, 2024
This is a tough decision, and I don’t envy the decision-makers on this one.