The Colts Benching Anthony Richardson Is Long Overdue

The Indianapolis Colts will look a bit different when they take on the Minnesota Vikings this coming Sunday night. It was announced on Tuesday afternoon that the team would be making a change at quarterback, with the struggling Anthony Richardson being benched in favor of veteran Joe Flacco.

The move should have been made much sooner.

Anthony Richardson Benched In Favor Of Joe Flacco

Colts planning to start QB Joe Flacco Sunday night vs. the Vikings. (via @RapSheet) pic.twitter.com/DRY9fxvVGt

— NFL (@NFL) October 29, 2024

Richardson has always been a project. Selected with the 4th overall pick a couple of years ago, he was known for his big arm and athleticism, but struggled with accuracy and reading defenses. He started just 13 games during the entirety of his collegiate career, which should have been the loud warning to the Colts that they should let him develop behind a veteran quarterback.

Instead, Richardson started four games to begin his NFL rookie season before having his campaign cut short due to injury. With just 17 starts under his belt since high school, the Colts decided to throw him back in the fire for his second year, once again naming him the starter for 2024.

While they are very much alive in the AFC playoff picture, things haven’t gone as well as they’d hoped with their quarterback play. Indianapolis is 3-3 in games that Richardson has started, but any success hasn’t been due to any stellar passing performances. His abysmal 44% completion percentage ranks last in the league by a mile, and he’s the lowest-ranked when it comes to passer rating. What he leads the league in is yards per completion, highlighting the fact that the long pass is currently his only weapon.

Indy Has Lost 3 Games By 3 Or Fewer Points

The “Get Up” panel was not kind to Anthony Richardson this morning. pic.twitter.com/34iGI78jlT

— Stephen Holder (@HolderStephen) October 28, 2024

The Colts have been able to stay afloat despite the struggles of Anthony Richardson, and are currently in second place in the AFC South with a record of 4-4. But that figure would probably be even better had Flacco been the starter. Of the team’s four losses, three of them were by 3 or fewer points, with the other being a 6-point defeat.

Richardson has thrown four touchdowns thus far this season against seven interceptions, and is the only QB with 6 or more starts who hasn’t reached 1,000 total passing yards yet.

Flacco is 1-1 in his two starts this season. He has seven touchdowns to just one interception, with his best game being a 359 yard, 3 touchdown, 0 interception performance in a loss to the Jaguars.