Anthony Richardson Ruled Out; Joe Flacco to Start at QB in Colts-Giants

Indianapolis will be without its second-year quarterback on Sunday.
Flacco will start his fifth game of the 2024 season on Sunday.
Flacco will start his fifth game of the 2024 season on Sunday. / Eric Canha-Imagn Images

With their playoff hopes on the line, the Indianapolis Colts are turning to quarterback Joe Flacco once again.

Second-year quarterback Anthony Richardson was officially ruled out for the Colts' Week 17 clash against the New York Giants due to foot and back injuries. That hands the starting role back to Flacco, who made four starts earlier this season after Richardson was benched in October.

The Colts are still alive in the AFC playoff race, as NFL.com gives them an 11% chance to crack the postseason bracket. Indianapolis can make the playoffs as a wild-card team if it finishes the regular season with wins over the Giants and Jacksonville Jaguars, paired with one of two scenarios: The Los Angeles Chargers losing out or the Broncos losing out combined with the Bengals and/or Dolphins winning their remaining games.

Flacco has led the Colts to just one win in four starts this season, throwing for nine touchdowns, five interceptions and logging a 91.5 passer rating. Richardson has tallied a 61.6 passer rating while throwing for eight touchdowns and 12 interceptions in his 11 starts.

Richardson's status for Week 18 is still up in the air.


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Tom Dierberger
TOM DIERBERGER

Tom Dierberger is a staff writer and editor on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He joined SI in November 2023 after stints at FOX Sports, Bally Sports and NBC Sports. Dierberger has a bachelor's in communication from St. John's University. In his spare time, he can be seen throwing out his arm while playing fetch with his dog, Walter B. Boy.