Colts Decide To Keep Anthony Richardson From Starting Against Titans

Source: Perry Knotts / Getty

INDIANAPOLIS – In a week several Colts players expected Anthony Richardson (oblique) to return to action, the young QB did not start on Sunday against the Titans.

The Colts went with Joe Flacco in Week 6, despite Richardson having practiced 6 straight days, including a much more active week of work heading into Sunday.

Richardson served as the emergency 3 ^rd QB, dressing for the game (something he didn’t do last week), but only available to enter if Flacco (the starter) and Sam Ehlinger (the backup) got hurt.

At the start of Sunday’s game in Nashville, CBS sideline reporter Aditi Kinkhabwala said this about her conversation with Shane Steichen on Richardson not starting. “Very close. Wants his young quarterback to be fully healthy and fully himself.”

Following Sunday’s win over the Titans, Steichen met the media and said this about Richardson not playing.

“We went through the week with Anthony, seeing how he was feeling…and obviously he just wasn’t there yet,” Steichen said. “So we went with Joe today.”

The head coach added Richardson worked out before the game on Sunday, but that he made the call for Flacco to start late in the week.

So, with Sunday’s news, Richardson has now started and finished 4 of a possible 23 NFL games so far.

Sunday was another missed road opportunity for Richardson to start, face a high-level, exotic defense and do it with some back up personnel around him.

Those experiences are life as an NFL quarterback.

Going back to Steichen’s quote to CBS, Richardson’s playing style is inevitably going to keep him away from being truly 100 percent, especially as seasons turn into October, November, December and potentially beyond.

So, at some point, he’s going to have to learn how to play limited.

It’s super rare to see a player leave a game due to injury (like Richardson did against the Steelers), then not miss a single practice the following week, or the next, and yet miss both of those games.

If you are looking for tea leaves where things might have shifted to Flacco starting in Week 6, Richardson went from a full participant in Thursday’s practice to just limited on Friday.

Still though, the two limited days for Richardson last week had him slinging the ball over the field, and he even took part in some simulated contact.

Missing two divisional road contest is another bummer on top of everything for the young quarterback.

As Richardson approaches the midway point of his second NFL season, questions about his accuracy and availability have only increased.

And that’s not what anyone wants when trying to evaluate his status as the franchise quarterback.

This story will be updated.