The Indianapolis Colts' first game since benching Anthony Richardson in favor of Joe Flacco didn't go as planned. The Colts failed to score an offensive touchdown in a 21-13 loss to the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday night to fall to 4-5 on the season.
Despite the loss, head coach Shane Steichen is sticking to his guns. On Monday, Steichen announced that Flacco would get the start once again in Week 10 against the Buffalo Bills, according to James Boyd of The Athletic.
The Colts are still right in the middle of the AFC Wild Card race. For now, Steichen and the rest of the staff believe that Flacco gives them the best chance to earn a spot in the postseason, while Richardson may benefit from some time on the sideline.
Flacco's first start after Richardson's benching didn't go as well as his starts while Richardson was out injured earlier in the season. Flacco had thrown seven touchdowns to just one interception in those appearances, but he struggled mightily against Brian Flores and the vaunted Vikings defense on Sunday night. When all was said and done, Flacco had completed 16-of-27 passes with 179 yards, one interception, and one lost fumble.
The Colts were able to stay in the game thanks to a fumble returned for a touchdown early in. the game, but the offense was never able to get anything going all night. The task doesn't get any easy this coming Sunday against a very well-coached Buffalo Bills defense that will present a very stiff challenge.
It's unclear how long the Colts will be willing to stick with Flacco as their quarterback while Richardson watches from the sidelines. The former top-five pick is still relatively inexperienced, with just 10 NFL starts under his belt, so it would make sense to get him some more reps if the Colts fall further behind in the wild-card race. If Sunday night was any indication, the offense may just be a struggle either way.
Follow Us
Subscribe
