Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson’s injured hip was too sore for him to do much at Wednesday’s practice.
So 39-year-old backup Joe Flacco took snaps with the starting offense and could be in line to replace Richardson on Sunday in Jacksonville.
Flacco replaced Richardson in last weekend’s 27-24 victory over previously unbeaten Pittsburgh, completing 16 of 26 throws for 168 yards and two touchdowns — and he promises he’ll be ready to play if needed against the winless Jaguars.
“Being a backup quarterback, it’s probably different than what you’d think it is,” he said before practice. “One of the things is just calling the plays on a daily basis, like we just did in a walk-through and I got to call the plays. When you get to call the plays, you’re just that much more familiar with the game plan.”
Flacco has honed his relief skills ever since ceding the Baltimore Ravens job to Lamar Jackson following a hip injury in 2018 and suffering a season-ending neck injury after making eight starts for the Denver Broncos in 2019.
Since then, the Super Bowl 47 MVP has bounced around the league, going from the New York Jets to the Philadelphia Eagles and back to the Jets before landing in Cleveland during his 2023 AP NFL Comeback Player of the Year Award season.
This year, Indy (2-2) signed him to help Richardson, Indy’s 22-year-old franchise quarterback, and provide a steady hand if Richardson got hurt, which happened multiple times in 2023.
Richardson’s four starts this season match his total from his rookie year, but he finished each of the first three games compared with just one in 2023. But he left twice against Pittsburgh (3-1), first after getting hit hard on his right hip during a designed run and again three plays later when he appeared to take another big shot, this time to his head. He did not return after the second hit.
“We’re just taking this day by day, just seeing how I’m feeling and seeing if I’ll be ready to roll out there on Sunday,” Richardson…
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Publish date : 2024-10-02 23:49:24
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