Colts' Anthony Richardson Talks Preparation for Texans Matchup

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson is focused on what the offense must do to take down the Houston Texans.

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson (5) celebrates a first down during the second half against the Miami Dolphins at Lucas Oil Stadium. / Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images

The last time the Indianapolis Colts faced the Houston Texans, Anthony Richardson made his long-awaited return to the field.

It was a boom-or-bust day for Richardson, as the quarterback completed 9-of-19 passes for 212 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. Richardson completed passes of 60, 57, and 54 yards that day, but the offense struggled to sustain drives in the 29-27 loss.

Seven weeks later, Richardson is ready for another shot at the reigning AFC South champions.

“We're just excited for this matchup," Richardson said about the Texans. "Another division opponent on our schedule, another opportunity to go out there and showcase who we are as a team. We’re just looking for a W this week.”

If Richardson and the Colts want to beat C.J. Stroud and the Texans on the road, the offense will have to put together a much better performance than last week against the Miami Dolphins. The passing game never got into a rhythm, as Richardson struggled against a Dolphins defense that threw everything they could at him. The film confirmed what Richardson experienced in-game on Sunday.

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson (5) runs the ball past Miami Dolphins defensive tackle Zach Sieler (92) during the second half at Lucas Oil Stadium. / Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images

“Just them just bringing a lot of pressure to us and just us trying to adjust to it," Richardson remarked. "So, we know other teams are going to try to do something similar. So, just got to work on that, pick those things up, but just execute our offense – get separation and deliver the ball and just make it work.”

Richardson finished 10-of-24 (42%) for 129 yards in the 16-10 win. Richardson found ways to make plays with his legs, adding 56 yards on 14 carries to help push the Colts' offense over the top. But if Indy is going to win on Sunday, Richardson knows he has to play much better than a week ago.

The Texans have access to the film as well and have already combed through it to determine what the Dolphins did to give Richardson so much trouble. Disguising coverages and bringing pressure were the name of the game last week against the quarterback who was only making his ninth NFL start. Expect the Texans to use a similar approach on Richardson until he proves he can overcome the challenge.

"(The Dolphins') defense, they did a great job disguising some things, bringing some pressure," Richardson explained. "Then play calling some of the times, we didn't know what to expect when they were throwing coverages out there. So we were just trying to make certain plays work. And then some balls just miss. It’s football. You’ve just got to keep slinging it and just keep throwing.”

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Richardson not only needs to improve on his performance from a week ago but also from Week 1 when he last saw the Texans' defense. With that game being Richardson's first regular-season start in nearly 11 months, it was expected he would have some rust to knock off. The explosive plays were prevalent, but Richardson failed to convert the layup throws on multiple occasions.

Now, there is no more talk about rust. While Richardson has missed two games due to an oblique injury, he has five starts under his belt this season. When he sees the Texans on Sunday, it will mark the first time in Richardson's career that he has played the same opponent twice in a season. The quarterback feels that will give him a leg up in his preparation that he has not experienced before.

“Honestly, I feel like the first one, it was just the first game, getting some rust out – us just trying to execute certain plays that we saw up," Richardson admitted about the Week 1 matchup. "But now we’ve kind of got a sense of what they're going to do to us and against us. So, now we’ve just got to make sure we’re on point each and every play.”

Since Week 1, Richardson has looked for consistency in his game. There have been times when he has been accurate with the football and marched the Colts down the field with ease. However, Richardson has been erratic with the football as well, missing throws that are expected completions from a starting quarterback in the NFL.

But the more reps he sees, the more the game begins to slow down for Richardson. That fact was evident in Week 4 against the Pittsburgh Steelers, where Richardson looked sharp in leading the Colts to touchdowns on their first two drives before he got hurt. While last week was rough in his return, more reps and experience will only help the young quarterback grow.

Gaining more experience against the same opponent will likely bode well for Richardson also. Seeing the Texans' defense for the third time in his career on Sunday gives Richardson a clearer picture of what to expect. From there, it is all about execution.

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson (5) throws a pass during the second half against the Houston Texans at Lucas Oil Stadium. / Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images

“Once you get comfortable, you see quite a few things a lot, you get used to it," Richardson stated. "You try to scheme up certain things and make certain things work against that coverage. But it's still preparation. We don't know what they’ve got going on. They might come out there in something totally different. So it's just preparing just each and every week.”

Matchups between the Colts and Texans always hold more weight than a normal contest due to the impact on the division. The Colts often say these games "count as double." Sunday is no different, as the outcome of this game could have a major impact on determining the winner of the AFC South.

If the Colts win, they split the season series with their divisional foe and tie the Texans atop the AFC South standings. If the Texans win, they will have swept the Colts and taken a theoretical three-game lead in the division with nine games remaining. It would be a near insurmountable lead for Indy to overcome.

Sunday's game in Houston may be one of the biggest games the Colts play all season. While Richardson and the Colts are downplaying the pressure, they know how important Sunday's outcome is to their playoff hopes. And that is why winning is imperative.

“It's definitely on our mind, but honestly we're not thinking about trying to tie records or anything like that," Richardson said. "Honestly, just trying to win. It's a division game. This one counts double for us. So we're just trying to get the dub and just keep stacking each and every week.”

Richardson has experienced success against the Texans so far, tallying 359 total yards and five touchdowns in a little over five quarters of play. The Colts are going to need Richardson at his best to capture the victory on Sunday.

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