The Indianapolis Colts haven't gotten off to a great start in the 2024 campaign, as they suffered losses in their first two games of the season against the Houston Texans and Green Bay Packers. While the Colts were solid in Week 1 against the Texans, the same can't be said about their Week 2 loss to the Packers, and that's largely due to the play of Anthony Richardson under center.
Richardson did not have a good day for Indy (17/34, 204 YDS, 1 TD, 3 INT, 4 CAR, 37 YDS), and while they were in this game until the end, it was pretty disappointing to see them be unable to beat a Packers team that was without star quarterback Jordan Love. Richardson's outing in Week 2 was certainly not good, but fans shouldn't be worried about the second-year quarterback's play just yet.
Colts fans have no reason to panic about Anthony Richardson…yet
Richardson was selected with the fourth overall pick of the 2023 NFL Draft to be the Colts quarterback of the future, but his rookie season lasted just four games before he suffered a season-ending shoulder injury. However, Richardson flashed his potential during his time on the field, and there was hope that Indianapolis could take a step forward with him back in the fold this season.
Through two weeks, though, it's clear those expectations need to be tampered. Richardson was extremely raw coming out of college, and while he's an incredibly gifted athlete, he's still prone to making mistakes that hurt his team, as evidenced by the three interceptions he threw against the Packers.
In a lot of ways, Richardson is still a rookie. Sure, he got to sit on the sidelines and acclimate himself to being in the NFL for much of last season, but you can't develop behind the scenes as much as you'd like when you are injured. Richardson's start in Week 2 was only the sixth game of his career, so he still is incredibly green right now.
The expectations for young quarterbacks were largely inflated due to C.J. Stroud's immediate success with Houston last season, but we are seeing across the league that not every young passer is Stroud. Rookies in Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, and Bo Nix have all struggled through their first two games, which is further proof that these expectations need to be reeled in.
Richardson has a bit more experience than these guys, so it's reasonable for his expectations to be higher. And while he struggled against the Packers, he had a strong debut to his season against the Texans (9/19, 212 YDS, 2 TD, 1 INT, 6 CAR, 56 YDS, 1 TD), in which he went toe-for-toe with Stroud throughout the day, while also hitting some incredible throws along the way.
There are obviously areas of Richardson's game that need to be cleaned up, but that's true of pretty much every player in the league. His decision-making under center needs work, but that will come over time as he becomes more knowledgeable with what NFL-caliber defenses are throwing his way. And while Richardson has a cannon for an arm, hitting the short to intermediate throws is a much more important trait to have when it comes to moving the ball on offense.
Young quarterbacks are bound to struggle in the NFL, and Richardson is no different. The Colts should have beat the banged up Packers in Week 2, yes, but these are the sort of speed bumps that new players have to overcome. The leash for Richardson is pretty long right now, and while it was disheartening to see his poor play on Sunday, there is still quite a bit of time for him to figure things out.
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