Assessing Anthony Richardson at the bye

The Indianapolis Colts are finally getting a chance to breathe this season with their bye week occurring this week. The Colts are one of six teams to have their bye this late into the season. The Week 14 rest and relaxation will be a great chance for players and coaches to get away from the game, unwind and most importantly heal up before the final stretch of the regular season.

It’s also a perfect time to reflect on where Anthony Richardson is at this point of the season. The 22-year-old entered year two of his NFL career with a lot of uncertainty coming off of shoulder surgery that cost him the majority of his rookie campaign. He’s had up and down performances and moments of brilliance followed by head scratching decisions. Moments that make you say “wow” and some stat lines that made you say “yikes!”.  

It was a mixed bag that hit a blender following their Week 8 loss to the Houston Texans when the Colts opted to bench Richardson in favor of Joe Flacco. The “Tap Out Game” as it will forever be known saw Richardson tap his helmet after a play saying he was too tired and needed a rest. It was shocking to see in real time and the fact that Richardson didn’t seem bothered about it in the post-game press conference rubbed a lot of people the wrong way. The Colts claimed the benching had nothing to do with the tap out, but it sure seemed like convenient timing to have him sit. It was a rough go with Flacco under center and after two games, the Colts went back to Richardson.  

In two of the three games since his return as the Colts starter, Richardson has guided the Colts to wins. Against the Jets, he had his best performance as a starting quarterback in the NFL. He threw for 272 yards, completed 20 passes, threw a touchdown, rushed for two more and a QB rating of 106.5. In their win against the Patriots, it wasn’t the prettiest game in the air, but Richardson helped orchestrate a game-winning 19-play, 80-yard drive, which featured multiple fourth down conversions and a gutsy two-point conversion call and run by Richardson to lift the Colts past their old rivals 25-24.

The hardest thing to do even at this point of year two for Richardson is to give any sort of long-term projections of the fourth overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. It’s been a mixed bag to this point. It’s not a stretch to say fans have a clearer picture of the first-round picks in the 2024 NFL Draft (outside of Michael Penix) than we do of Anthony Richardson. Fans and coaches have seen more consistency from Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, Drake Maye and Bo Nix before their rookie seasons have completed than Colts fans have in Richardson’s two seasons. Yes, injuries play a role in the lack of clarity on Richardson, but it also must be factored into the overall evaluation of him as a talent and how much faith the Colts and fans should have in his longevity going forward.

Year two was supposed to be a reset. Almost a rookie season 2.0 software update. The team has seen the flash plays to Alec Pierce and the impact in the running game he can have. But the Colts haven’t seen multiple games strung together or performances that they can hang their hat on and hope to build from.  

As mentioned earlier, Richardson’s signature game of the season was against the New York Jets. Following that, it was a dreadful game against the Detroit Lions. That debacle was not all his fault, but the offense never got going whatsoever and was held without a touchdown. The next game, what should have been a “get right” game against the New England Patriots for the team, turned into a nail biter that required Richardson and the offense to assemble the 19-play, 80-yard drive. It wasn’t like he lit the world on fire that afternoon. 12-of-24 for 109 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions in 60 minutes of football looks bad no matter how it is sliced but his poise on that drive and his ability to use his legs when needed provided enough for the Colts to escape with the victory.  

Now is when the real test begins.

The Colts sit at 6-7 through 13 games and are in the thick of the AFC playoff hunt with a crucial game against the Denver Broncos that could potentially make or break their postseason hopes. If ever there was a time to see what Richardson can do it’s these final four games. Can he be the catalyst for the offense and put the team on his back for a playoff push? And can he help the Colts avoid tripping over themselves against what should be considered lesser opponents following the Broncos? The Colts have the Tennessee Titans at home, on the road against the lowly New York Giants and close the regular season at home against the (gulp) Jacksonville Jaguars. Let’s hope the season doesn’t come down to Week 18 and the need for a win over a divisional opponent. The team has been down that road before and it hasn’t ended well.

If we’re giving Anthony Richardson a grade to this point of the season, they deserve a B-minus. He’s shown flashes but the Colts need to start seeing more consistency, especially from an accuracy standpoint. He also needs to string some solid games together going forward. As he goes, the Colts go. A critical year three awaits regardless of what happens during the rest of this season. The Colts will need a solid idea of what kind of player Richardson is because they’ll need to make decisions on his fifth-year option and a potential contract extension—which means huge financial commitment. Any regressions or uncertainty could mean the Colts have even bigger decisions to make at the quarterback position.