It's Time for Colts to Give Anthony Richardson Sr. the Green Light

The Indianapolis Colts were destroyed and humiliated at EverBank Stadium on Sunday afternoon by the Jacksonville Jaguars, losing 42-7.

Running back Jonathan Taylor and wide receiver Josh Downs may dominate the news for the Colts amidst trade rumors, but the QB situation for Indianapolis can't be overlooked after this awful loss.

Daniel Jones has pulled a full 180 since looking better than ever last year; now, he looks arguably the worst he has ever looked through his eight NFL seasons.

Jones finished the game with 19/28 completions for 144 passing yards, two interceptions, and a garbage-time touchdown to Downs.

Jones also had one of his passes returned for a pick-six by Jaguars safety Rayuan Lane III in the second quarter.

RAYUAN LANE III PICK-SIX

INDvsJAX on CBS/Paramount+
Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/bZN2FaLptY
— NFL (@NFL) November 1, 2026

Head coach Shane Steichen decided to sit Jones near the end of the game when all hope was lost. This gave Anthony Richardson Sr. a small chance to shine.

Richardson didn't dazzle, finishing with 2/2 completions for eight passing yards. He also tacked on four rushing yards.

It isn't much, and perhaps the Jaguars were playing some lax defense, but Richardson's mere presence was a breath of fresh air for Colts fans, and the offense.

Anthony Richardson Shows Off His Shiftiness And Then Finds Keenan Allen For The Colts First Down.

Escaping Pressure And Still Delivering A Strike On The Move.

Daniel Jones Can't Do This. 👀 pic.twitter.com/4VegTyJE6q
— SM Highlights (@SMHighlights1) November 1, 2026

Given how Indianapolis is 2-6 and falling apart at the seams, it's very simple: it's time to bench Jones and roll with Richardson the rest of the way.

Through eight games, Jones has an eyesore of a stat line. Below are his metrics up to this point:

162/268 completions
1,542 passing yards
5 touchdown passes
9 interceptions
75 rushing yards
1 rushing touchdown
4 fumbles

Jones has shown the heights of what he can do with this offense, and quite frankly, that ceiling is hardly higher than the floor, or even the basement.

There are two questions to pose to Steichen regarding Richardson: 'How can this get any worse than Jones?' and 'What else do you have to lose?'

It's hard to tell if Steichen will stay as Indy's head coach for the rest of the year, or if he'll be dismissed of his services following the worst performance of the Week 8 slate ahead of Monday Night Football.

Regardless, this offense has far more potential with Richardson running the show. Jones is more accurate, experienced, and has in-game rapport with the pass-catchers.

However, Richardson is a more capable runner, has better zip and arm strength, and forces defenses to consider much more due to how versatile of a QB he is.

Initially, my knee-jerk thought was that Jones has a higher football IQ than Richardson, but seeing how baffling Jones' decision-making has been this year, I'm not completely sold on that argument ringing true.

Anthony Richardson Sr. gets ready to hand the football off. — Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson Sr. (5) looks to handoff during the fourth quarter of an NFL football matchup at EverBank Stadium on Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026, in Jacksonville, Fla. The Jaguars defeated the Colts 42-7. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union] | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Steichen has stuck firmly to his desire to roll with Jones, but I think even he has to reconsider his approach.

Jones has held back the offense in brutal fashion, and it will only continue this way as the season drags on.

Richardson deserves one final shot in a completely lost campaign, and even Steichen has acknowledged that every position is open to evaluation, quarterback included.

#Colts HC Shane Steichen on the loss: “Flat out wasn’t good enough. Got out-played, got out-coached in all three phases. We got a lot to fix. I’ve been saying that for a while. …”

On Daniel Jones as QB1: “I’m gonna evaluate everything. Every position going forward.” pic.twitter.com/YrHhJvn70T
— James Boyd (@RomeovilleKid) November 1, 2026

The jury is still out on whether Taylor and Downs get traded, but that shouldn't change the fact that Indianapolis must switch things up at the field general spot.

The Colts have a battle ahead in Week 9 against the Dallas Cowboys (3-5) at Lucas Oil Stadium. This is the perfect opportunity to start Richardson against a Dallas defense that has struggled to stop any offense this year.

We'll see what Steichen and the Colts do at QB, but if they're smart, they'll make the call to let Richardson take the reins for the rest of the season.

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