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Year 2 of the Anthony Richardson experiment hasn't gone according to plan for the Colts. The former top five pick has been in and out of the lineup due to injury this season and his performance when he has been healthy has left plenty to be desired.
Sunday's loss to the Houston Texans may have been rock bottom for Richardson. The Colts quarterback was a dismal 2-for-15 passing in the first half, an ugly stat line that is only salvaged by his long touchdown pass to Josh Downs. For the game, Richardson finished 10-for-32 passing with 175 yards and one touchdown with one interception. He did have a good day on the ground, running for 45 yards on six carries.
Richardson's performance this season has caused many fans to wonder why the Colts wouldn't go back to Joe Flacco, who has run a very efficient offense in Indianapolis when he has been forced into action. On Monday, head coach Shane Steichen wouldn't commit to a Week 9 starter when the Colts take on the Minnesota Vikings, according to Stephen Holder of ESPN.
“We're evaluating everything,” Steichen said, per Holder.
The Colts squandered an opportunity to take the lead in the AFC South on Sunday, but they are still right in the middle of the AFC Wild Card race. We'll see how much weight that holds in the quarterback decision in the coming weeks.
Anthony Richardson's performance for the Colts in Year 2 is concerning
The scouting report when the Colts drafted Anthony Richardson coming out of college was that he was raw and needed plenty of reps. Richardson didn't play very much in college at Florida and has only made 10 NFL starts, so all of those things still ring true. However, his regression in his second season is very concerning.
As a rookie before his injury, Richardson was wildly inaccurate at times, but it seemed like he had a very good feel for the position. His footwork was sound, he read defenses well and was able to get through his progressions at a good pace. The ball usually went to the right place, but sometimes the throw was off.
This season, in a year where you would expect improvement, Richardson looks completely lost. His accuracy issues are still there (and may have gotten worse), and he misses some of the easiest throws on the field at times which leads to the wildly low completion percentage numbers. Now, however, Richardson isn't seeing the defense and processing well at all. His feet are erratic, his eyes are all over the place and it has made this Colts passing game almost untenable as a result.
To make matters worse, the Colts have shown that they can have an explosive passing game with their talented crop of wide receivers and Shane Steichen calling plays. Joe Flacco has had a ton of success at quarterback in relief of Richardson, which may have put even more pressure on the young quarterback to come back and perform well.
It's still way too early to pull the plug on Richardson, but his regression this season has been something to keep an eye on.
