Colts Bench Struggling Anthony Richardson, Will Start Joe Flacco vs. Vikings

Richardson's benching comes amid a prolonged struggle under center this season for Indianapolis.

The Indianapolis Colts are benching second-year starting quarterback Anthony Richardson. / Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

The Indianapolis Colts are benching second-year starting quarterback Anthony Richardson, sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter and Jeremy Fowler. The Colts coaching staff met on Tuesday morning and have made the decision to bench Richardson in favor of former Super Bowl MVP Joe Flacco.

Richardson's benching comes on the heels of another poor performance - one in which he asked out of the game due to fatigue. The timing of Richardson's decision to pull himself out of the lineup came amid a season of prolonged struggle - a clear sophomore slump.

In six starts this season, Richardson has completed just 44.4% of his passes for 958 yards and four touchdowns to seven interceptions. In the team's latest loss on Sunday, a 23-20 defeat to the Texans which dropped the franchise to 4-4 on the season, Richardson completed just 10 of his 32 passing attempts for 175 yards and one touchdown to one interception.

With all of their goals still in front of them, Flacco will now lead the offense. He has played in four games this season, including two starts that Richardson missed due to injury. The 39-year-old has completed 65.7% of his passes for 716 yards and seven touchdowns to one interception. His strong performance in relief of Richardson this season comes on the heels of a 2023 campaign where he made five starts for the Cleveland Browns, completing 60.3% of his throws for 1,616 yards and 13 touchdowns to eight interceptions.

Flacco has not been a full-time starter since ceding the gig from Lamar Jackson in Baltimore in 2018. Since then, he's been one of the most reliable backups in the league.

The Colts travel to Minnesota to take on the Vikings on Sunday night.

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