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Colts' Anthony Richardson Reveals Honest Take on Play vs. Bills

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson was honest about his performance against the Buffalo Bills.

Andrew Moore

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Early Saturday morning, nearly three hours before the Indianapolis Colts and Buffalo Bills kicked off to begin their preseason slate, one man was out on the field.

Anthony Richardson walked the Orchard Park field under cloudy skies. The rookie quarterback was about to start his first NFL contest after being taken with the No.4 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. All of the hard work Richardson had put in since he was a kid had culminated in this moment. 

Before the stadium filled up with thousands of fans, Richardson strolled the turf and looked around, trying to take it all in.

“I’ve never done that before," Richardson admitted after the game. "I got treatment and everything and I’m like, okay – let me just go look how the field look and it just hit me – like, you’re actually here. You got to enjoy it. So, after I walked like 10 laps, I was, ‘Wow, I’m finally here. I finally made it on the big stage.’ The first NFL experience I had, and I had to soak it all in before it got real out there.”

And it got real very quickly. The Colts received the opening kickoff from the Bills, and Richardson took the field. The first drive started with simple plays to get Richardson into a rhythm. Two handoffs to running back Evan Hull and two quick throws to wide receiver Isaiah McKenzie allowed the Colts to gain 16 yards.

The fifth play turned out to be a teaching moment for Richardson. On an RPO call, Richardson pulled the ball back and looked for McKenzie on a quick out. Richardson pump-faked, then launched the ball over McKenzie's head into the hands of Bills' Dane Jackson for an interception. 

There was an obvious miscommunication between Richardson and McKenzie on the play, and both players immediately met with one another on the sidelines. Richardson knows he needs to work on being in sync with his receiver in those situations.

“Just being on the same page," Richardson explained. "We gameplan, we knew they were going to bring some pressure. To be on the same page with Isaiah and just try to manage it and find a way to make it work rather than turn the ball over. Should have probably given him a better ball, first of all, instead of throwing it over his head or just should have decided to throw it out of bounds. I tried to make it work, first drive. We got to find a way to manage it and make it work instead of just turning the ball over.”

Both McKenzie and head coach Shane Steichen took the blame for the interception after the fact and said it was not on the quarterback. They want to protect their rookie quarterback, and it is admirable to do so. Everyone played a role in the turnover, and the interception will be a learning experience for the rookie.

"That’s my fault," Steichen said, referencing the interception. "We got to do a better job communicating there on that one. They brought slot pressure off the edge and there was a miscommunication. That starts with coaching, that starts with myself - we have to be better there."

The second drive of the game saw Richardson settle into the flow of the game. He scrambled for five yards on the first play and found wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. on a quick slant for a first down. It was a high throw, but Pittman used his long arms to bring it in.

The drive stalled out a few plays later after the offensive line failed to get a push on fourth down, leading to Hull being stuffed at the line of scrimmage. Although the drive failed, the jitters had left Richardson, and he was fully immersed in the game. The excitement of playing football in the NFL, however, never left the quarterback.

“I was excited the whole way," Richardson remarked. "Even turning the ball over, despite that I still feel good because I was out there competing with my teammates. Brand new team. Brand new coaching staff. Brand new environment. First time in Buffalo. I was excited the whole time. I’m just glad I got the opportunity to be out there.”

Richardson's third and final drive of the game was far and away his best of the day. He completed a 10-yard pass to Hull, followed by a 20-yard completion to tight end Kylen Granson down the seam. It was evident Richardson was getting into a rhythm.

His best throw of the day ended up being an incompletion. Richardson uncorked a deep ball to wide receiver Alec Pierce from about 40 yards out. The throw was perfect, dropping right into the bucket of Pierce's outstretched arms. Unfortunately, Pierce could not hang on through the contact. Pierce was visibly upset with himself afterward, knowing he dropped a touchdown.

The dropped touchdown did not deter Richardson. He found McKenzie for another 11 yards to get a first down. After a couple of runs by the running backs, Richardson took it himself on a read-option and almost scored a touchdown. A hold by Pharaoh Brown negated the play and stalled the drive once again.

Overall, Richardson finished 7-of-12 (58.3%) for 67 yards and an interception as the Colts fell to the Bills 23-19. He added two carries for seven yards on the ground. While not an earth-shattering performance from the rookie, it was a solid debut.

“It was fun, just playing football again," Richardson said. "That was fun, getting back in the groove. I think I had two or three drives. The first drive wasn’t the best – turnovers, we want to try to limit those as best as possible, try to find a way to manage it instead of trying to force it and be Superman. I liked the experience with everybody and first experience overall and you want to learn from it.”

“I thought he was good," Steichen admitted on Richardson. "I mean he bounced back. It was the first drive of the game, he gets the pick there and he comes back and we started moving the ball pretty good. He had some nice touch passes. Good calm. Had some good things. Commanded the huddle. All those different things. I thought he did a nice job. It’ll be good to watch the film, clean the things up that we need to clean up from everybody and go from there.”

Richardson was not perfect by any means. However, he did show that he belonged. The moment was not too big for him, and he bounced back nicely from the early interception. Richardson played better as the game went along and showed off his talents.

The rookie quarterback has plenty to build on after his first NFL experience. The 2023 season will be about how Richardson develops and learns from his mistakes. There will be ups and downs, but that is the life of playing a rookie quarterback.

If his first game proved anything, it is that the hype around Richardson is warranted. His potential is through the roof, and if Richardson can continue to improve and learn from his mistakes, the Colts will be very happy with their investment.

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Andrew Moore
ANDREW MOORE

Andrew Moore is the Senior Analyst for Horseshoe Huddle and an Indianapolis Colts expert. Andrew is also the co-host of the Horseshoe Huddle Podcast and the former co-host of A Colts Podcast.

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