Talk surfaced before the game whether Anthony Richardson should return as the starter for the Indianapolis Colts. And Joe Flacco’s early pick-six brought more noise. But head coach Shane Steichen said Flacco won’t be benched despite his four-turnover game against the Bills, according to a post on X by James Boyd.

“#Colts HC Shane Steichen says QB Joe Flacco will remain QB1 until he says otherwise.”

The Colts fell to 4-6 on the season with the disappointing 30-20 home loss to the Bills in Week 10.

Colts QB Joe Flacco making plenty of mistakes

Indianapolis Colts Indianapolis Colts head coach Shane Steichen walks on the field during the second half against the Buffalo Bills at Lucas Oil Stadium.
Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images

There’s little doubt that Flacco brings more accuracy to the offense. He hit on 26 of 35 passes for 272 yards and two touchdowns. Those are numbers Richardson could only dream of posting at this stage in his career.

But Flacco tossed a trio of interceptions and got ripped to the ground four times for sacks. He also coughed up a fumble for the Colts. Steichen turned the job over to Flacco with the belief the 39-year-old veteran gave his team the best chance to win. But against the Bills, Flacco instead played like a quarterback the Colts had to overcome. He made several situational mistakes veterans are supposed to avoid.

Included in the mix, Flacco threw an ill-advised screen pass toward running back Jonathan Taylor. Bills nose tackle Austin Johnson intercepted, which set up a Buffalo field goal and gave the Bills an early 10-0 lead.

Despite the problems, Steichen said Flacco is still his guy. He’s hoping the experience pays off in the long run, according to yahoo.com.

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“Until I say otherwise, Joe’s our guy right now,” Steichen said. “(He's) a guy that’s a veteran guy. We’ve had two games that we’d like to have back. Right now, Joe’s the guy.”

One thing is for sure, the Colts can lose with Richardson behind center. Plus, they would have the hop he could develop into a bonafide NFL quarterback at some point. The logic of that thinking hasn’t been lost on Steichen.

“I understand,” Steichen said. “I’m going to go back and look at everything. But right now, that’s where I’m at.”