The Indianapolis Colts have had a chaotic first half of the 2024 NFL season. Indianapolis is 4-5 heading into Week 10 and is still in the mix for the AFC South title. Unfortunately, the Colts could not get a win in Week 9 as they fell 21-13 against the Vikings. Now the Colts have a brewing QB controversy with both Anthony Richardson and Joe Flacco on the roster.
Colts head coach Shane Steichen said after the game that he will stick with Joe Flacco as the team's starting QB.
Steichen said “right now, yes,” when asked if Flacco is still his starter for the Colts, per ESPN's Stephen Holder. The logic is pretty simple — Steichen believes that Flacco “gives us the best chance to win right now.”
This is a defendable position if you believe that winning now means everything. Many Colts fans would disagree that and say that getting Anthony Richardson more reps and development is the primary goal of the season.
When asked about Flacco's performance against Minnesota, Steichen said Flacco “was fine.”
“Obviously, he's played in environments like this before,” Steichen said. “But again, it starts with myself … I've got to keep looking at what we're doing offensively. We have eight [games] left, and I've got to look at scheme stuff and see what we're doing and go from there.”
Flacco was willing to admit that the Vikings defense presented more of a challenge than he originally anticipated.
“You know coming in here against a team like that, it's going to be difficult,” Flacco said. “But I don't think you ever anticipate something like that.”
NFL rumors: Disconnect between Colts, Anthony Richardson led to benching
Sticking with Joe Flacco does nothing to eliminate the narrative surrounding the team's QB controversy. If anything, this will intensify the interest in the QB battle between Richardson and Flacco.
One ESPN story from Wednesday suggests that there is a disconnect between Richardson and the Colts. Particularly on the matter of Richardson's recent benching.
“Internally, the Colts are viewing the benching as something of a timeout for Richardson,” Holder wrote. “According to multiple sources, it's being framed as an opportunity for him to improve his game preparation and better understand the gravity of the job, an area the team thinks he has been lacking. This, sources said, was even more a factor in the decision than Richardson's on-field performance.”
However, it seems this message has not gotten across to Richardson's camp.
“Whether such expectations were previously communicated to Richardson is less clear,” Holder continued. “Richardson was surprised by the benching, according to a source close to Richardson, because he did not realize he was falling short in this area.”
The Colts should be worried that they are burning a bridge with their franchise QB. Or at the very least shattering the confidence in a player who desperately needs it.
It will be interesting to see how this situation pans out over the coming weeks.
Follow Us
Subscribe
