Breaking: Colts Quarterback Anthony Richardson Shifts Focus to…

The Indianapolis Colts lost the turnover battle in Sunday’s 23-20 defeat in Houston, plus the season-opener in September and last season’s finale for the AFC South crown in January.

Another critical giveaway in the final drive of the first half proved to be catastrophic as Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson forced his throw a tad late at the sticks, which allowed Texans’ safety Jalen Pitre to perfectly jump the route and pick it off. An outrageous play call, coupled with Richardson’s poor throwing decision led to Pitre’s interception, which ultimately gave the Texans (6-2) an opportunity to score a touchdown and take a 17-10 lead before halftime. If a college QB were to force a turnover in the fashion Richardson did in the final minute of the first half, he might have gotten benched at halftime.

Indianapolis’ impotent offense ranks dead last in the NFL in average time of possession (26:01) and seems incapable of sustaining drives. It took over 50 minutes for the Colts to move the sticks on third down after the offense started 0-for-9. Seven of the Colts’ final nine legitimate drives featured five punts, the aforementioned interception and a lost fumble from a strip-sack to deny any chance of a potential walk-off prayer. Entering Sunday, Richardson was sacked just four times in 116 drop backs. The Texans sacked Richardson five times, including on the final play of the game as the Colts tried to set up a Hail Mary heave from midfield.

Perhaps the most condemning takeaway was the 22-year-old QB was so “tired” that he decided to take himself out of the game while trailing in the third quarter. No one is buying that. Richardson must learn how to fly through the turbulence of an NFL game. It’s a heavy burden after his tenth NFL start, but it comes with the territory of being an franchise signal caller.

Richardson has completed 10 or less passes in five of six games played this season and his game log is beginning to resemble potential tour dates for Big Vo, his rap moniker. In two games against the Texans, he completed just 37% of his 51 pass attempts. In three home wins, he went 10-of-20 passing against the Bears, completed 3-of-4 passes before exiting against the Steelers and finished 10-of-24 against the Dolphins. His 44% completion percentage ranks dead last among starters and 57th among 60 NFL QBs who have attempted a pass this season.