Indianapolis Colts head coach Shane Steichen made it clear on Monday that Anthony Richardson will be the starting quarterback when he is fully healthy after Joe Flacco's impressive performance against the Jacksonville Jaguars, according to Ari Meirov of The 33rd Team.

The Colts suffered a 37-34 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, but Joe Flacco had a great day, completing 33-of-44 passes for 359 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. Anthony Richardson still is the future of the franchise though, as he was the No. 4 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. Richardson has struggled as a passer, but has flashed upside with deep throws and his running ability. Being the younger player than Flacco, it makes sense for Richardson to stay the starting quarterback when he returns from injury. Hopefully, he can develop into that franchise quarterback that the Colts expect.

Leading up to the game against the Jaguars, it was known that Richardson was increasingly unlikely to play. Flacco did a great job filling in, and if the Colts' defense had performed better, they could have come out with a win to advance to 3-2 on the season. It will be worth monitoring reports throughout the week to see if Richardson will be healthy enough for the next game.

Colts look to rebound with Anthony Richardson hopefully returning

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The next few weeks present opportunities for the Colts to add wins. This upcoming week, Indianapolis will go on the road to play the division rival Tennessee Titans. Interestingly enough, the status of quarterback Will Levis is in question for that game as well. Regardless, the Colts very well could get back into the win column against a Titans team that does not look very good.

The Titans' lone win came against an undermanned Miami Dolphins team without Tua Tagovailoa, which happens to be the team that the Colts will play the week after this upcoming game against the Titans. Tagovailoa will not be eligible to return for that game either. If the Colts play up to their capabilities, they could end up at 4-3 on the season.

With the Houston Texans off to a hot start this season and seemingly the favorites in the AFC South, it will be interesting to see if the Colts can catch up to them. If not, it will be interesting to see if the Colts are able to stay in the Wild Card race. The most important factor is Richardson's health and development as a player throughout the season.