By MICHAEL MAROT
AP Sports Writer
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Anthony Richardson showed the Indianapolis Colts over the past two weeks off the field that he could be their starting quarterback.
Again.
Two ugly losses might have helped convince Indy’s brain trust, too.
Either way, Richardson has won back the job.
Coach Shane Steichen announced Wednesday that he was making yet another quarterback change, handing the reins back to the 22-year-old Richardson while benching 39-year-old Joe Flacco.
“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,” Steichen said. “ I informed Joe of the decision yesterday. He’s the ultimate pro. He respects the decision, he understands it.”
Steichen made the first change because he said Flacco gave the Colts (4-6) the best chance of winning now.
Instead, Flacco committed six turnovers in two losses, the offense struggled to get in the end zone or stay on the field and Indy’s lost ground in the race for the AFC’s seventh and final playoff spot.
So now the Colts are turning back to their franchise quarterback.
What changed? Apparently, Richardson commitment to working harder.
“It was, ‘Hey, Anthony, these are the areas we need to work on and see growth and improvement and he’s made great strides in those areas,” Steichen said. “I didn’t have a timetable on it, but I knew at some point, you know, we were not going to give up on Anthony.”
For Richardson, it’s yet another twist in what already has been a stop-and-go career.
After being drafted No. 4 overall in 2023, the former Florida star quickly won the starting job. Richardson’s rookie tenure didn’t last long.
He started Indy’s first two games, missed Week 3 with a concussion, then started two more games before undergoing season-ending surgery on his throwing shoulder.
This season has been more of the same. Richardson started Indy’s first four games then missed two more with a hip injury and started two more before being benched.
Now, the youngest quarterback in the NFL will be back in the lineup for Sunday’s matchup against the New York Jets and the league’s oldest quarterback, Aaron Rodgers.
“I just showed I’m willing to be a pro, I’m willing to sacrifice anything I need to do for the team,” Richardson said. “I feel that these past two weeks have definitely opened my eyes and allowed me to do that and do 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 real glad to have it (the job).”
Flacco, last season’s AP NFL Comeback Player of the Year, won two of the five games he played in his first season with the Colts but was 1-3 as the starter.
Still, the decision was unexpected. On Monday, the day after Flacco threw three interceptions and lost a fumble in a 30-20 loss to Buffalo, Steichen left little doubt that Flacco would remain the starter for the rest of this season.
Less than 24 hours later, he notified Flacco of the move just four days before the NFL’s second-oldest quarterback met one of his former teams.
“Shane and I had a private conversation, and it was a good talk and that’s all I’m going to say,” Flacco said. “Every time you take the field you’re being evaluated, and I’m definitely disappointed the way the last two weeks went. Any time you walk into the locker room like this, and you have the ability to play for the guys, you want to do a good job for them.”
Now, though, Richardson must prove Indy made the right move.
In his first six games this season, Richardson threw seven interceptions and four touchdown passes with a league-low 44.4% completion rate. Richardson believes the extra time he’s put in over the past two weeks have helped create more consistent habits that he hopes will help him on and off the field.
If it does, the Colts may finally figure out if Richardson can be the long-term solution to a quarterback carrousel that has been spinning constantly since Andrew Luck’s surprise retirement in August 2019.
“I feel like there’s still for improvement all around but lately I’ve been working on consistency, just trying to get better at that,” he said. “The past couple of weeks I’ve been trying to focus on like sacrificing more. Guys ask me to do certain things you’ve got to do it. They’re sacrificing so why not do it?”