Anthony Richardson's Debut Provides Hope as Colts Fall to Jaguars
When looking at the final score, it seems the 2023 season for the Indianapolis Colts started just like any other over the past ten years.
The Colts fell to the reigning AFC South champion Jacksonville Jaguars 31-21 on Sunday. The loss marks the tenth straight Week 1 loss for the Colts as the franchise kicked off their 40th season in Indy. What makes the loss sting even more is the Colts held the lead with just under five and a half minutes left in the fourth quarter.
The defeat also came in the first career start for rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson. The No.4 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft was introduced to a raucous Lucas Oil Stadium crowd. After the game, Richardson was not satisfied with his performance.
“We didn't win, so I didn't do good enough," Richardson said. "But first game, first experience, felt good just being out there with my teammates. The energy was good. We've just got to clean some things up, including myself, but it was fun out there just being back out there playing football.”
Sure, at the end of the day, a loss is a loss in the NFL. But ultimately, the Colts' season will not be judged by wins and losses alone. The real focus of the 2023 season will be on Richardson's development and how this team is positioned for the future.
Sunday may have been a loss, but in the grand scheme of things, the future looks bright for the Colts and their 21-year-old quarterback.
© Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
Richardson finished his debut 24-of-37 (64.9%) for 223 yards with a touchdown and an interception. He also ran the ball ten times for 40 yards and a touchdown on the ground. The rushing touchdown was the first of his NFL career and tied the game to begin the second quarter.
"I felt excited," Richardson revealed about the touchdown run. "At that point I just thought everything was rolling for us. Just getting in the box for the first time in my NFL career – it felt good. Shoutout to my o-line for opening up the hole for me. Shoutout to everybody else for even helping us out get the ball down the field. But it was good. It felt good. Hopefully I get more.”
By the time Richardson had scored that rushing touchdown, he had settled into the game. The moment did not look too big for the kid out of Gainesville, who only had 13 starts at the collegiate level. Richardson stayed poised in the pocket and tried to pick his spots on when to use his legs.
While the numbers did not point to an extraordinary performance, it ended up being a record-breaking debut for Richardson. His 24 completions broke the Colts' franchise record held by Andrew Luck for most completions by a rookie in his first NFL start. The 64.9% completion percentage set by Richardson broke the franchise record for the best completion percentage by a rookie quarterback in his first NFL start. These records come from a quarterback who was critiqued by many talent evaluators for having a low completion percentage at the University of Florida.
But things were not all good for Richardson. On the interception, the rookie stared down his target in tight end Mo Alie-Cox. Jaguars' cornerback Tyson Campbell read the eyes of the quarterback and snagged the interception on a bad throw. A mistake like that in the fourth quarter made it tough for the Colts to recover.
"We trust that play a lot, so we called it," Richardson explained. "I saw the corner, but I just threw it a little too flat, and we weren't trying to attack him the whole game, but I saw that matchup and I thought I could get it over his head, but I threw it a little too flat. But he made a good play. Hopefully it doesn't happen again. We just grow from it.”
Head coach Shane Steichen also took the blame for the interception after the game. Steichen was also making his regular-season debut as a head coach in the NFL. He was pleased with what he saw from his rookie quarterback.
“I thought (Richardson) played solid," Steichen admitted. "I'll take fault for that interception right there, second-and-10 or whatever. It was a Cover 2 deal and we didn't have a great route called there and got to be better there. But I thought he managed the game well, thought he did some really good things, really encouraged with his progress and what he did.”
The biggest scare of the game also involved Richardson. After a scramble in the first quarter, Richardson got up gingerly with a slight limp to his left leg. That same leg caused him to go down and come off the field on the final drive of the game for the Colts. After the game, Richardson provided some encouraging words for a fan base that has experienced plenty of injuries with star quarterbacks.
"First quarter, I can't remember exactly what play it was, but I had a zone read, pulled it, hit my knee on the turf. Just a little bruise on it, that's it. Just ice it – I'll be all right...More so hurt that we lost than my knee, but other than that, I'm good. I've just got to get to the drawing board and focus on next week.”
Although the Anthony Richardson era did not start 1-0, Colts fans should be optimistic about what they saw on Sunday. Richardson gave the Colts a threat at the quarterback position this team has not had in a long time. He was mostly accurate with the football and made good decisions. Richardson also showed off how he can be a threat with his legs.
Richardson and the Colts offense did not have a perfect game by any means. The running game without Jonathan Taylor and Zack Moss failed to have an impact. The offense line struggled to get any push in the run game. The wide receivers, outside of Michael Pittman Jr. (eight catches, 97 yards, TD), were largely silent throughout the afternoon.
Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
But even with some of the struggles on offense, the Colts had a chance to win deep in the fourth quarter. A defense led by DeForest Buckner (seven tackles, sack, forced fumble, fumble recovery, TD) and Zaire Franklin (18 tackles, forced fumble) forced two turnovers and kept the Jaguars in check for most of the day. A young team like the Colts will take this as a learning experience and be better off for it down the line.
“We definitely were in position," Richardson remarked. "We had it the whole way, I believe. I felt like we had the game the whole way. Our defense played great. They played lights out. They helped us a lot. Almost every possession, almost every drive for them was a turnover, and we've just got to help them out.
"We've just got to get better because our defense played good. Shoutout to those guys, but offense we've got to clean some things up so we can make it easy for them.”
The Colts offense is a work in progress. As Richardson continues to develop and the unit becomes more cohesive in Steichen's system, strides will be made. Richardson is determined to make those strides sooner rather than later.
"We've just got to clean some things up as an offense," Richardson reiterated. "I feel like the defense helped us out a lot. We just couldn't do anything for them at the time. I felt good throughout the whole thing, but this is something we've got to learn from and just work on.”
The end result was a loss. However, Sunday proved Richardson provides hope and optimism for the future of this team. For that reason alone, Colts fans should be excited to see how the rest of the season plays out.
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