Positive Response: Bench Decision Sparks Richardson’s Growth

It was reported last week that Indianapolis Colts head coach Shane Steichen benched Anthony Richardson in favor of veteran Joe Flacco for back-to-back games in “an effort to get Richardson’s attention.”

Richardson subsequently guided the Colts to a come-from-behind 28-27 victory at the New York Jets this past Sunday. On Tuesday, Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated explained how Richardson’s reaction to his demotion may have helped the second-year quarterback save his Indianapolis tenure.

“Richardson was p— over being benched a couple weeks ago,” Breer revealed. “It lit a fire under him. And while the coaches had discussed doing extra and staying later to him over the two years before all this, having his job taken from him brought the reality of his situation into focus. He’d have to take that step forward or put his career in peril.”

Specifically, Richardson “camped out at the team facility” on the players’ day off last Tuesday as he and coaches prepared for the Jets game. That work resulted in Richardson leading his offense on a late game-winning six-play, 70-yard drive and in the 22-year-old completing 20-of-30 pass attempts for 272 yards with a touchdown to go along with two scores on the ground.

Following the victory that improved the Colts to 5-6 on the season, Richardson noted that he felt more relaxed against the Jets than he did across the first 10 regular-season starts of his young career. Breer shared that Richardson was “a much more prepared quarterback” against New York and that the Colts now “feel pretty good about” the fourth overall pick of the 2023 NFL Draft, who previously risked losing some teammates when he admitted to taking himself out of a game last month because he was “tired.”

By all accounts, the Colts “never” came close to trading Richardson following his temporary benching because Steichen and Co. still believed the work-in-progress could become Indianapolis’ franchise quarterback. Richardson certainly looked the part versus the Jets, and he’ll attempt to build upon that performance when the Colts host the 9-1 Detroit Lions this coming Sunday.

As of Wednesday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook listed Indianapolis as a 7.5-point underdog against Detroit.