Report: Colts QB Anthony Richardson’s Legs a Key Component of Offense

With 3:36 remaining in a close game on Sunday and his team facing a third-and-4, Indianapolis Colts coach Shane Steichen could have called a quick throw or a reliable run play for one his backs.

He settled on neither option.

Steichen kept the ball in his quarterback’s hands, calling a power run to the right for Anthony Richardson. Some timely blocking and Richardson’s quickness and hard running allowed him to burst through a hole for eight yards and a clutch first down. After being tackled, Richardson got up and made a dramatic first-down signal, to the delight of the home crowd.

“Just trying to get the energy going in the stadium,” he said.

Less than two minutes later, the Colts added a field goal that helped ice a 16-10 win over the Miami Dolphins.

“It was huge,” Steichen said.

All told, Richardson, the Colts’ second-year quarterback, ran the ball a career-high 14 times. At least seven of those were designed runs as opposed to scrambles. And much to the Colts’ relief, Richardson appeared to emerge unscathed. That’s crucial as the Colts, winners of four of their last five, travel to play the Houston Texans on Sunday (1 p.m. ET, CBS).

That cannot be considered a certainty given Richardson’s injury history during his short career. He returned to the lineup on Sunday after missing two games with an oblique injury that was the result of a hit he took while scrambling in the open field in a win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. That comes after the season-ending shoulder injury Richardson sustained last season on a quarterback run — one that sidelined him for 12 games.

It all has made the topic of Richardson running the football a delicate subject for the Colts.

But something became more apparent on Sunday: Richardson’s running ability was a huge factor in the Colts’ decision to draft him. To shy away from it — especially on a day when the passing game was struggling mightily — would have been detrimental.

Instead, Steichen leaned into his quarterback’s unique skill set. And results followed.

“I’m here because I’m me,” Richardson said. “I think I’m one of one, honestly. Not many people can do what I do.”

Left tackle Bernhard Raimann took note of Richardson’s impact and the lingering effect of his powerful runs.

“It gets everybody fired up,” he said. “We’ve known this ever since he got here, which just shows up on the field over and over again. He cares so much about this team, about winning football games.