Are Colts deluding themselves by playing Joe Flacco over Anthony Richardson?

In the aftermath of the Colts’ loss to the Vikings on Sunday, one in which Indianapolis had its worst offensive performance of the season, coach Shane Steichen defended veteran quarterback Joe Flacco. 

The second-year coach said postgame that Flacco played “fine.” He chalked up the performance as “just one game.” He reaffirmed his commitment to Flacco as Indianapolis’ QB1 for the foreseeable future, leaving Anthony Richardson on the bench. 

“If you watch him, obviously in the games he’s played early on, obviously just throwing the football., he’s doing a hell of a job with that,” Steichen said Wednesday of Flacco. “Getting the ball out of his hands, finding completions. Just a veteran leader that’s been doing it at a high level.”

Is he, though?

The Colts seem to believe they’re better than they actually are with Flacco. 

On Sunday, he completed just 59.3% of his passes for 179 yards and an interception plus a lost fumble. Indianapolis had season-worsts in first downs (13), yards of offense (227) and expected points added per carry (-0.36), its second-worst EPA per drop back of the season (-0.30) and failed to register an offensive touchdown for the first time this season. 

Did the Colts make the right decision in benching Anthony Richardson?

And we can look beyond the Minnesota game. The reality is that the Colts are 1-1 in their other two games with Flacco as starter. The loss came against a bad Jacksonville Jaguars team (2-7) that has one of the league’s worst defenses — a game in which Indianapolis had a 24-point fourth quarter and still fell short, even with a strong showing from Flacco (75% completion rate for 359 yards and three touchdowns with a 121.3 passer rating). The victory came against an equally bad division rival in the Tennessee Titans (2-6), against whom the Colts mustered just 269 yards of offense, their second-lowest mark of the year. 

So Indianapolis’ two worst games this season in terms of total offense have come with…

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Publish date : 2024-11-07 15:04:30

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