Colts' Anthony Richardson Nominated for NFL Rookie of the Week

Indianapolis Colts QB Anthony Richardson finds himself up for league accolades after a great showing on Sunday.

It was a long road from the No.4 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft to Week 1, but Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson is up for the NFL Rookie of the Week award after one start.

🗣️ Vote @GVOaant for NFL Rookie of the Week!

— Indianapolis Colts (@Colts) September 12, 2023

After an efficient performance in his NFL debut against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Lucas Oil Stadium, it’s not too surprising that he’s in the running for this honor.

The other nominees include:

• CB Brian Branch – Detroit Lions

• WR Zay Flowers – Baltimore Ravens

• RB Bijan Robinson – Atlanta Falcons

• WR Xavier Gipson – New York Jets

• WR Puka Nuka – Los Angeles Rams

Richardson would put together 24-of-37 for 223 passing yards, one touchdown to one interception. It’s worth noting that Richardson had around a 65% completion rate, which is solid given that he was having accuracy issues up to the regular season getting underway. He also hit shorter/intermediate throws at a higher rate than expected.

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The rookie signal-caller would handle most of the rushing duties also. He’d carry the ball 10 times for 40 rushing yards and another score on the ground. He would lead the Colts in rushing yards for the contest.

Richardson is still inexperienced and has a lot of room to grow in this Shane Steichen offense, which is also new to the franchise. However, given that Richardson essentially shouldered the entire offense in his first-ever NFL start and that he outperformed his fellow starting rookie quarterbacks (Bryce Young – Carolina Panthers, and C.J. Stroud – Houston Texans), it makes a strong case that he could win this Rookie of the Week award. There could be potentially more accolades like this in the weeks ahead.

Regardless of which rookie wins, one thing is for sure: Richardson looks farther along in his development than previously believed. If he can build off of this performance against the Jaguars with a strong showing against the Texans, his momentum will only increase, and so will the hype around him.

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