Colts to start Anthony Richardson two weeks after benching
Indianapolis Colts coach Shane Steichen was asked on Monday whether the team would consider reinserting second-year quarterback Anthony Richardson into the starting lineup in place of the struggling Joe Flacco.
"Until I say otherwise, right now Joe is our guy," Steichen said when asked about the possibility at a Monday news conference.
Two days later, it appears that Steichen has said otherwise. The Colts are turning back to Richardson ahead of their Week 11 matchup with the New York Jets, the Colts head coach announced Wednesday.
The decision comes just two weeks after the Colts benched Richardson in favor of the 39-year-old veteran Flacco.
"Joe gives us the best chance to win," Steichen originally told reporters when announcing that Flacco would start in Week 9 against the Minnesota Vikings.
However, the Colts didn't win either of Flacco's starts. They averaged just 17.5 points per game while Flacco threw for 451 yards, two touchdowns and four interceptions across the two contests. The team dropped to 4-6 on the season, and eighth place in the AFC, as a result of the losses.
Richardson served as Flacco's backup in each of the two games he was benched. He didn't see any action, but evidently, Flacco's poor performance in Week 10 against the Buffalo Bills – during which he threw a pick-six on the Colts' first offensive play of the game – was enough to convince Steichen to quickly pivot back to Richardson.
Steichen said when Richardson was initially benched that he was "not losing faith" in the young quarterback's development.
Now, the second-year coach will rely on Richardson to get the Colts back on track and into the wide-open race for AFC wild-card berths.
Richardson has posted a 3-3 record in six starts this season while throwing for 958 yards, running for 242 and totaling five touchdowns. However, he has completed just 44.4% of his passes and thrown seven interceptions, so improving upon those numbers will be paramount as he looks to show Steichen he is ready to start again.