Colts' Loss to Lions Falls on Supporting Cast, Not Anthony Richardson

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson did not receive enough help from his teammates to beat the Detroit Lions.

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson (5) reacts Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024, during a game against the Detroit Lions at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. / Grace Hollars/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Way too often in the NFL, the quarterback receives too much credit for a win and too much of the blame for a loss.

But that is exactly the opposite of what we will be doing today. Anthony Richardson is not the reason the Indianapolis Colts lost to the Detroit Lions, 24-6. Richardson's supporting cast failed him too many times to count as the offense repeatedly shot themselves in the foot against arguably the best team in the league.

“We lost, so it wasn't good enough," Richardson remarked about his performance. "Just got to get back to the drawing board. Like I said, focus on the details and just be better as a whole, not just individual.”

Richardson's performance was, admittedly, not one to write home about. The quarterback was 11-of-28 (39%) for 172 yards with zero touchdowns or interceptions while adding 61 yards on the ground. But as has been the case for most of the season, the box score does not tell the whole story.

Richardson was under constant duress as the offensive line produced their worst game of the season. According to NFL Next Gen Stats, Richardson was pressured on 46.7% of his dropbacks yesterday. Despite taking zero sacks due to Richardson getting rid of the football or evading the rush, he hardly had any time to deliver the football to his receivers.

Anthony Richardson took zero sacks vs DET despite being pressured on 46.7% of dropbacks per @NextGenStats

There have been three instances this season where a QB is pressured on 45%+ of his dropbacks in a game but has taken zero sacks: Anthony Richardson is two of them (Wks 7/12)

— Noah Compton (@nerlens_) November 25, 2024

The offensive line also had killer penalties that negated big plays or stalled drives. Quenton Nelson, who may have played the worst game of his career, was called for three penalties. Holding calls on Braden Smith and Dalton Tucker eliminated plays of 21 and 19 yards, respectively.

Altogether, the Colts had eight offensive penalties on plays that totaled 98 yards. 79 of those 98 were passing yards on four completions by Richardson. That is a lot of yardage and big plays erased by self-inflicted wounds.

“As a team, it hurts us," Richardson admitted. "Whenever you’re out there playing a good team like that, you can't beat yourself and try to beat the other team at the same time. So, the penalties definitely hurt us, but that's just getting back to the drawing board, just understanding the minor details and discipline between each and every play. Just want to make it work.”

Detroit Lions defensive end Josh Paschal (93) attempts to tackle Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson (5) during the second half at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Ind. on Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024. / Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

It was not just the offensive line that failed to provide any help. The tight end group was abysmal as Drew Ogletree and Kylen Granson continued to waste opportunities.

Ogletree was called for a hold that negated a 21-yard gain by Granson and then proceeded to drop a wide-open touchdown pass. Granson failed to look for the ball when he was a wide-open hot read and then cut off his route when he was not supposed to, causing two more incompletions.

While the play of the tight ends was as bad as it has been all season, causing the position to become the top need this offseason amongst fans, Richardson tried to take some heat off of Ogletree after the game.

"Just stick with it," Richardson said when asked what he told Ogletree after the drop. "He’s not going to catch every pass. I'm not going to throw a great ball every time. So, like I said, it's the nature of the game. Whatever the game throws at you, you’ve got to just adjust and just play ball. He dropped the ball – so what. I don't throw great passes all the time, so it is what it is. We’re going to get the next one.”

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Combine the disappointments from the offensive line and tight ends with a failure to get Jonathan Taylor going, not getting two feet inbounds on a dime from Richardson to Ashton Dulin, and continued miscommunication from AD Mitchell, the offense was a brutal mess.

Richardson did his best to take the blame after the game and not single anyone out, but the film does not lie. Michael Pittman Jr. (six catches for 96 yards) and Josh Downs (three catches for 27 yards) showed up to help their quarterback, but that was about it. The supporting cast has to be better.

“Just execution, dropped passes, delivery," Richardson explained. "I could’ve thrown some better passes, especially the one to the left, to JD (Josh Downs) right there. But just execution, no penalties in the red zone and just finishing. We didn't finish play calls that we did have. We just didn’t execute.”

The failure to execute and undisciplined penalties also falls on the coaching staff. Offensive line coach Tony Sparano Jr. and tight ends coach Tom Manning did not have their groups ready to play on Sunday. But the buck stops with head coach Shane Steichen, who must get his unit better prepared and ready to execute.

"Penalties hurt us. Starts with myself," Steichen stated. "We’ve got to get those cleaned up. We had a season-high 10 penalties I believe for 75 yards – that's on me. We can't have that. We’ve got to play clean football going forward.”

Those who only look at the box score, did not watch the game, or are trying to push a narrative, will say that Richardson's accuracy issues reared their ugly head yet again and it doomed the Colts. It is the same lazy analysis that the FOX halftime crew, particularly Michael Strahan, put forth at the break.

Those who know ball and watched the game know the group around Richardson failed him. They failed their quarterback by taking away opportunities or failing to convert plays that legitimately could have changed the course of the game. And when playing a team like the Lions, that cannot happen if you hope to win.

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson (5) makes a pass against Detroit Lions during the second half at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Ind. on Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024. / Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

“We’ve just got to execute," Richardson proclaimed. "We knew that was a great team right there, but they didn't really do anything spectacular to beat us. They played that game the right way and we didn't go out and execute the way we knew that we were supposed to.

"We let them throw a few penalties on us because (of) our discipline and our details. We’ve just got to keep playing, play complimentary football, keep the details the details, and keep trusting the process and just going out there and trying to find a way to win.”

The difference between a good team like the Lions and a lesser team like the Colts was evident yesterday. One was disciplined, executed, and took advantage of their opportunities. The other could not stop tripping over themselves.

The Colts are now 5-7 and seeing their playoff hopes dwindle by the week as they look more and more like a mediocre team yet again. Since Richardson's return, he has been one of the few players contributing at a high enough level to win games. But football is a team sport, and one player cannot do it alone when his teammates are failing to hold up their end of the bargain.

Maybe it is time for accountability to be enforced at other positions too, not just the quarterback position.

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