Anthony Richardson or Joe Flacco: Who will be Colts’ starting QB against the Jets?
Two weeks after benching Anthony Richardson, Colts HC Shane Steichen announced starting him again and benching Joe Flacco.
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Anthony Richardson and Joe Flacco (Via Imago/Reuters)
In the woes of a 4-6 season record, the Indianapolis Colts’ quarterback room has been quite unstable this season because of the head coach Shane Steichen going back and forth between Anthony Richardson and Joe Flacco. Things appeared to be stable when Steichen announced that Flacco would continue being a starter however, the turmoil occurred again on Wednesday when he changed his previous statement.
Despite having two capable quarterbacks, the Colts are stuck in a three-game losing streak. It wouldn’t be unreasonable to say that could be due to the instability in the quarterback room. After benching Richardson two weeks ago, head coach Steichen announced on Wednesday that he will start again next week against the New York Jets.
[Anthony Richardson] He’s going to be our starter again, he’s going to start for the rest of the season and we’re going to go from there. I informed Joe of the decision yesterday. He’s the ultimate pro. He respects the decision, he understands it.
Shane Steichen said
Just in: The #Colts are going back to Anthony Richardson as their starting QB this week vs. the Jets. pic.twitter.com/TuJgCIvIDs
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) November 13, 2024
The Colts benched the 22-year-old due to the team’s issue with running the ball and they thought veteran Flacco would solve this problem. However, after they suffered two back-to-back losses, Steichen shifted back to Richardson. He assured that the young signal-caller will continue being the starter for the rest of the season and the 39-year-old return to his backup role.
Anthony Richardson reflects on growth during two-week bench period
Steichen’s initial opinion that the team has the best chance of winning with veteran Flacco was mainly because of Richardson’s lackluster performance. He was ranked the lowest in the league with a 44.4% completion rate and seven interceptions. While it’s tough to say whether the decision to bench him was good or bad for the team, it helped the young quarterback evaluate himself from a deeper perspective.
I think these two weeks have definitely opened my eyes and allowed me to take a deeper dive and look into myself and see what I’m made of. So, I’m thankful for these past two weeks and I’m low-key thankful that it happened.
Anthony Richardson said, via ESPN’s Stephen Holder
Even though he was benched, Richardson was practicing like a starter as the Colts’ head coach had told him he would be starting again this season. Perhaps these two weeks were exactly what the 22-year-old needed to unlock his full potential as he prepares to face the Jets in Week 11.
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Pratyusha Srivastava
(2147 Articles Published)