Let’s make this perfectly clear: There is no quarterback controversy in Indianapolis. There never was, and there won’t be for the foreseeable future. Anthony Richardson is the QB1.
Colts head coach Shane Steichen dismissed any other notion on Monday. “He is our starting quarterback,” Steichen said, referring to the 2023 No. 4 pick.
Advertisement The only exception to that statement will be if Richardson is not healthy enough to play. Last week, nursing a right oblique injury, he wasn’t. Richardson’s absence gave way for veteran backup Joe Flacco to make his first start as a Colt, and he shined against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Flacco completed 33 of 44 passes for 359 yards and three touchdowns, including a 65-yard TD strike to Alec Pierce that tied the game late in the fourth quarter before Jacksonville squeezed out a 37-34 win. GO DEEPER NFL Power Rankings Week 6: Commanders rising; checking in on fantasy flops Flacco’s standout performance marked the 14th time he’s tallied at least 350 passing yards in a regular-season game, proving he’s still capable of being one of the best pocket passers in the NFL on any given Sunday, and over the last few years, on any given team. But that’s as far as this renaissance act will go in Indianapolis.
Barring injury, Flacco will never be handed the keys as the Colts’ full-time starter. Why? Because this season is more about Richardson’s long-term development than trying to catch lightning in a bottle with a 39-year-o.
