Subscribe
Follow Us
The Indianapolis Colts have endured another losing season in 2024 and head into their finale with a 7-9 record. While they've struggled in many areas, the play of quarterback Anthony Richardson has been a major issue.
From leaving the field in the middle of a potential scoring drive to struggling with consistency for most of the campaign, Richardson has not lived up to expectations. He's been the exact same player he was at Florida — a guy who can show moments of brilliance but lacks the maturity and focus to perform on a weekly basis.
In fact, several Colts veterans even approached Richardson to hold him accountable, including DeForest Buckner.
Via The Athletic:
“They were trying to hold (Richardson) accountable, which is understandable, but then the guy they put in wasn’t the guy either,” one Colts veteran said. “So when they went back to A.R., at that point it’s like, ‘OK, but what are we doing?’ That really affected the team.”
“Multiple players met with Richardson privately to tell him he wasn’t meeting the standard, Buckner among them. “I signed an extension here because I believed in you,” Buckner told Richardson, according to The Athletic’s Jim Trotter. “But you’ve got to do your part.”
Richardson was benched by the Colts and it appeared he may never be under center again, with head coach Shane Steichen refusing to say what the future held for the young signal-caller. But, after Joe Flacco stunk up the joint, Richardson was back as QB1. He did put together a respectable performance in his return as the starter on November 17, leading Indy to a win over the NY Jets, completing 20 of 30 passes for 272 yards.
While Richardson is now nursing a back injury, it still remains in question whether he's truly the answer for this franchise, who haven't made the playoffs since 2020. Two years into his career, he's yet to be the player the Colts need. It remains to be seen if they will stick with Richardson for one more season or go in a different direction.
