Colts QB Anthony Richardson on why he asked out of game: 'Tired, I ain't going to lie'

HOUSTON — Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson left the game on a key third down in the third quarter because he was winded after a series of scrambles.

“Tired, I ain’t going to lie,” Richardson said after the game. “That was a lot of running right there, and I didn’t think I was going to go that next play. I needed a break right there.”

Richardson escaped a sack, ran to the right at full speed and was tackled near the line of scrimmage, then tapped his helmet, headed to the sideline and took a knee.

Veteran quarterback Joe Flacco headed into the game for one play.

Richardson stayed on a knee until after Matt Gay's 37-yard field goal, appeared to briefly talk to Indianapolis head coach Shane Steichen and then headed to the bench.

No Colts trainers examined him on the bench, and Richardson was back on the field for the rest of the game, beginning with the next Indianapolis series.

“No, he needed a breather,” Steichen said. “He ran three times in a row, and it was third and long, so we said we’re going to hand the ball off.”

Facing a third-and-goal from the Houston 23-yard line after a false start and an offensive pass interference backed up the Colts, Indianapolis asked Flacco to hand the ball off to Jonathan Taylor, who picked up five yards and set up Gay's field goal.

Richardson's decision to pull himself out of the game, even if only for a play, was unusual.

Although players at other positions -- defensive line, running back, wide receiver -- often rotate and sometimes check out of a game because they need a breather, it is a rarity for NFL quarterbacks. A team's starting quarterback typically takes 100% of the snaps if he's healthy.

"Obviously, if he checked himself out of the game for a play, it means something was really wrong, he was feeling something, you know what I'm saying," defensive tackle DeForest Buckner said. "We know he's a big-time competitor. He wants to compete, he wants to be out there. When a guy like him checks himself out of the game, it has to be something serious. He had to be feeling something."

Anthony Richardson injury update: Colts QB leaves game after hit, returns