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The Indianapolis Colts are not having the 2024 season of their dreams. Indianapolis must be glad that QB Anthony Richardson is staying healthier than he did in his rookie season. However, he still has a ton of growing to do before he looks like a good starting QB. That said, one national analyst is not ready to give up on Richardson, even after a dreadful game against the Texans.
ESPN's Dan Orlovsky is stepping up to defend Colts QB Anthony Richardson after an ugly performance against the Texans on Sunday.
“Richardson’s tape. Significantly better than the stat line/box score,” Orlovsky posted on social media on Tuesday. “Significantly.”
On one hand, this isn't that big of a reach for Orlovsky. This is because Richardson's raw accounting stats are truly disgusting. Richardson went 10-of-32 for 175 yards with one touchdown and one interception. He had a completion percentage of just 31.2% and a quarterback rating of 48.3.
That said, it is still a weird time to be pumping up Richardson.
Richardson will need to play significantly better football than he has recently or he may find himself benched for Joe Flacco.
Ryan Kelly gets honest on Colts QB Anthony Richardson's viral substitution
Colts center Ryan Kelly opened up about Anthony Richardson's viral substitution moment against the Texans.
“We had a conversation about it,” Kelly said on Monday per Kevin Bowen. “And I think he knows that’s not the standard he needs to play up to and the rest of the team holds him to. I’ll kind of leave the conversation we had at that.”
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Richardson left the game for a third-and-goal play in the third quarter after back-to-back scrambles. He later admitted that he was tired and pulled himself out for one play.
Kelly understands that Richardson will face criticism for his decision. However, he does not question Richardson's effort.
“I know he’s going to take some criticism for that,” Kelly said. “And rightfully so. That’s a tough look. But also he’s out there giving it all for his team, right? It’s not always pretty at times. An offensive lull the last couple of weeks, just having a hard time getting going at times.”
Kelly even doubled down on how much effort Richardson puts into his game both on and off the field.
“If anybody questions how hard he plays, I don’t think that’s the case,” Kelly said. “If you watch his film, surely we didn’t move the ball effectively at times, but he’s giving it everything for his teammates. He’s young. I’m sure it’s a learning moment for him, and I’ll leave it at that.”
It will be interesting to see if the Colts decide to stick with Richardson at QB for the rest of the season.
Next up for the Colts is a Week 9 matchup against the Vikings.
