Do Jaguars' Rival Colts Need to Admit the Obvious About Richardson?

The Indianapolis Colts may have to admit a painful truth about quarterback Anthony Richardson.

Dec 15, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Broncos linebacker Nik Bonitto (15) reaches for Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson (5) in the first half at Empower Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images / Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

The Indianapolis Colts entered the 2024 NFL season with relatively high hopes, and much of that was thanks to the fact that they had Anthony Richardson at quarterback.

In brief action last season, Richardson flashed his explosiveness, and his tantalizing potential had many prepared for the Colts to take a step forward.

Instead, the opposite has happened, and at this point, Indianapolis may be longing for the days of Gardner Minshew.

The Colts were hammered by the Denver Broncos, 31-13, on Sunday, putting their playoff hopes on life support with just three games remaining in the regular season.

Richardson went just 12-for-28 with 118 yards and an interception in the loss, representing his latest brutal performance. Yes, he carried the ball seven times for 46 yards and a touchdown, but at some point, the second-year signal-caller is going to need to start utilizing his arm.

That begs the question: is it time for Indianapolis to admit the obvious about Richardson?

Because, right now, at this point, it doesn't look like the former No. 4 overall pick can throw the football.

After Week 15, Richardson is now completing just 46.9 percent of his passes on the year. He has been under 50 percent five times in 10 starts. He has been over 50 percent just twice.

Richardson missed a couple of games earlier in the season due to injury and was then briefly benched for Joe Flacco. The only reason why he was reinserted as the starter was because Flacco stunk up the joint, too.

Remember: there was actually speculation that the Colts could move Richardson at the trade deadline last month. Was there ever any real chance of that happening? Probably not, but it speaks to just how awful Richardson has been.

It's important to note that Richardson is just 22 years old, but there also comes a point where you can't keep completing less than 50 percent of your passes and expect a team to stick behind you moving forward.

Is it too early to say that the University of Florida product is a massive bust? Perhaps, but with each passing week, you have to wonder more and more if Indianapolis may need to go in a different direction under center heading into the offseason.

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