Colts Anthony Richardson Prediction vs Lions

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson has to have a Herculean performance to defeat the Detroit Lions.

Nov 17, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson (5) celebrates after scoring a touchdown over the New York Jets in the first half at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images / Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images

The Indianapolis Colts are heading into week 12 to face one of the most dangerous teams in the NFL, the 9-1 Detroit Lions. However, everyone's eyes will be on quarterback Anthony Richardson's performance. After a great showing on the road against the New York Jets, Richardson has to display consistency and follow through by having another good game against the Lions.

With this at the top of the mind, it's time to dive into predicting Richardson's stat line from top to bottom.

Passing

Nov 17, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson (5) celebrates his touchdown against the New York Jets during the fourth quarter at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images / Brad Penner-Imagn Images

The Lions boast an impressive 14 team interceptions (tied 2nd - Houston Texans), with half of those coming from safety Kerby Joseph (7). Alongside Joseph is Brian Branch, who accounts for 4 more interceptions. In short, Richardson can't throw errant passes or risk paying with turnovers. Sadly, I think he tosses one to Detroit, and it's likely one of the safeties mentioned above to accomplish that.

As for the accuracy, Richardson ripped off a solid 66.7% in week 11 (20/30 completions), but that was against a sad Jets offense led by an aging Aaron Rodgers. This isn't the same, and Richardson will need to throw the ball more to stay on pace with Jared Goff on the other sideline, eclipsing 30 tosses again. Richardson's completion % will dip, but not below 60%. While the Lions take the football away, they also don't have stars in linebacker Alex Anzalone or defensive end Aidan Hutchinson, giving Richardson a possible edge with completing passes.

Richardson has another chance to keep his completion percentage over 60% again against the 27th pass defense in the league (232.7 yards per game), which lacks the pass rush they had before Hutchinson's injury. Given these circumstances, I believe Richardson has another solid day passing, but with one blemish.

PASSING PREDICTION: 21/34 for 238 passing yards, 2 TDs, 1 Int

What happens next for the Colts? Don't miss out on any news and analysis! Take a second and sign up for our free newsletter and get breaking Colts news delivered to your inbox daily!

Rushing

Nov 17, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson (5) signals at the line during the first quarter against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images / Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Unlike the pass defense, Detroit can stop the run on a high level, averaging just 94.8 rushing yards allowed per game (5th in the NFL). To keep up with the Lions, Indianapolis needs to buck Detroit's trend by establishing the ground attack early and often. However, I believe this will be done primarily with Jonathan Taylor and the other backs (Trey Sermon, Tyler Goodson).

Given that Richardson will probably have to throw over 30 times, Sermon must be in the contest due to his pass-blocking ability. As for Taylor, he'll need to average more than a paltry 2.4 yards per carry like in week 11, so expect plenty of opportunities from Shane Steichen's play calls to make that happen for the former All-Pro. Due to this, Richardson won't have 10+ carries again but will be more efficient with them than a 3.2 average.

Taylor will likely see around 25 touches, but I'm comfortable with Richardson having sub-10 and making the most of those opportunities. While the former Florida Gators signal-caller notched a duo of rushing scores against the Jets, he won't find pay dirt with his feet this time.

RUSHING PREDICTION: 8 carries for 58 rushing yards

Bottom Line

Nov 17, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson (5) runs for the game winning touchdown against New York Jets cornerbacks D.J. Reed (4) and Isaiah Oliver (23) during the fourth quarter at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images / Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Richardson still has a long way to go before anyone can realistically call him a franchise quarterback, but his showing against the Jets is a fantastic bounce-back to gain momentum. With a daunting task ahead of trying to keep up with a high-powered Ben Johnson offense, we'll see what Richardson is made of when the Colts fight to upset the Lions at Lucas Oil Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

---

Want more Colts content? Check out the latest episode of the Horseshoe Huddle Podcast!

Follow Horseshoe Huddle on Facebook and X, and subscribe on YouTube for multiple Colts live-stream podcasts per week.