The Colts Are Running Wild Once Again: His Abilities to Make Plays with His…
Indianapolis Colts’ quarterback Anthony Richardson is one of the best dual-threat passers in the NFL, and the team has been leaning into his rare ability on the ground in recent weeks.
Richardson currently sits at 54 designed rushing attempts this season, with 22 of those runs coming in the three weeks since his return to the starting lineup. The Colts have leaned heavily into Richardson’s rushing ability in recent games, and it has paid massive dividends for the offense.
Since returning to the starting lineup in Week 11, Richardson leads all quarterbacks in designed rushing yards, missed tackles forced, and rushing touchdowns. His six rushes of 10+ yards in that span is fifth among all rushers, including running backs.
Richardson has become a major threat in the run game in recent weeks, with the success mostly being attributed to the unique athlete he is with the ball in his hands and the diverse scheme the Colts are deploying for their young quarterback.
Q Power Read
Richardson is one of the more unique athletes in the entire league. Standing at 6’3″ and 244 pounds, he is built bigger and stronger than most running backs in the league. This makes him a dangerous runner between the tackles, so naturally, the Colts rely more on “Q Power Read” calls than the standard read option.
Q Power Read is similar to a read option design in the fact that the quarterback is reading a conflict defender and making a decision based on that defender’s positioning. The only difference is that the quarterback on these designs is the intended ball carrier between the tackles while the running back is the option on the edge.
The Colts like to mix this design in early on in drives to set up manageable second/third and short situations. Richardson’s stature and explosiveness makes these runs a near guarantee for 4-5 yards a pop on the interior of the defense.
