Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson left Sunday's game against the Houston Texans with a concussion. He will not return to the game, per James Boyd of The Athletic. Richardson scored two rushing touchdowns in the first quarter, putting the Colts up 14-0 early. He took a big ht on the second score, and his head snapped back and hit the ground. These “whiplash” concussions are very common on such plays.

Richardson played in the next two Colts' offensive series. He then went to the locker room to receive a concussion evaluation before later being ruled out. Gardner Minshew is the second-string quarterback, and he came in to lead the Colts on another touchdown drive. Indianapolis leads Houston 21-10 at halftime.

At 6-4, 245 lbs, Richardson is a big, physical athlete and likes to run the ball. He's as fast and as strong as anyone on the field at any point. However, quarterbacks have to learn to avoid big hits in the NFL. After his NFL debut against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Trevor Lawrence congratulated him on his performance, but warned him to learn to avoid contact.

The rookie quarterback was the fourth overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. The Colts' future lies with Richardson, and they're leaning heavily on him to carry their team until Jonathan Taylor's contract situation gets resolved.

With a concussion, Richardson will miss at least one more week, and likely will miss multiple. Jonathan Taylor isn't eligible to return until after Week 4, because he started the season on the PUP list. It's unclear if he will return after that, but the Colts may struggle for the next few weeks. Indianapolis faces the Baltimore Ravens, Los Angeles Rams and Tennessee Titans in their next three games.