Jaguars AFC Rival in Deep Trouble with 1st Round QB

The Jacksonville Jaguars' AFC South rival has no hope in sight for what they will do at quarterback. The competitiveness is even coming into question for the team's fifth overall pick after what he had to say following their Week 8 loss.

Oct 27, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson (5) reacts after the game against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images / Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

It was not a good day for one of the Jacksonville Jaguars' divisional rivals this Sunday as the Indianapolis Colts fell to Houston Texans in an AFC South battle that brought out more intriguing information rather than the Colts falling to 4-4 on the season.

Starting quarterback Anthony Richardson had an exceptionally disappointing game, throwing for a mere 175 yards, completing just 10 of 32 passes with a touchdown and seventh interception of the year.

Regardless of his bad day on the field, Richardson's postgame comments were the most glaring thing that he presented all day.

Richardson came out of the game for one play in the third quarter after scrambling for 16 yards and being sacked at the line of scrimmage. He would then take a knee, tap his helmet, and asked to come out. The former fifth overall pick was asked his reasoning for that decision.

“Tired, I ain’t gonna lie," Richardson said postgame. "That was a lot of running right there that I did, and I didn’t think I was gonna be able to go that next play. So, I just told (HC Shane Steichen) I needed a break right there.”

Understandable, players get winded and at times, must take a play off to regain their breath after a long run. But not when trailing by ten points, late in the third quarter, on the doorstep of a touchdown at the Texans 23-yard line. An eyebrow-raising take from the team's alleged franchise quarterback.

The Colts settled for three on that drive and a touchdown in that scenario might have been the difference between winning and losing. It does not matter if Richardson just got done running a marathon, he needs to be in at that juncture of the game and that was his responsibility.

It is an indictment on Richardson's competitiveness as a football player and his will to win. More than his sub-par quarterback play, Colts owner Jim Irsay and the rest of the organization will not tolerate a lack of effort or hunger to be on the field to make a play.

Even former Colts punter and viral sports media personality, Pat Mcafee, weighed in on Richardson's decision to pull himself out of the game.

I had never seen an NFL QB tap out while still being healthy until watching Anthony Richardson.. The QB is your franchise. The message it sends is loud and influential.

— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) October 27, 2024

Mcafee would later backtrack and mention that Richardson would return for the next series and lead the Colts on a touchdown drive. Regardless, him and many other Colts fans were not happy to hear that Richardson was unable to perform due to fatigue in a big moment.

Fundamentally, Richardson is struggling to do anything productive as his physical and mental play have both been abysmal. Multiple mental mistakes along plagued him on Sunday, including taking a sack on the final play, instead of tossing a ball deep and giving his receivers a hail mary chance.

Just ask the Washington Commanders and Jayden Daniels what needs to be done in that situation after what they were able to do yesterday.

His scramble ability is better than a lot of the starting quarterbacks in the NFL, but his decision making to run out of bounds or slide has costed the Colts chances at victory and for Richardson, his health.

The second-year quarterback is tied for second in the NFL in interceptions thrown (7) and has been wildly innacurate throughout the season. He has dealt with several injuries in his young career but the learning curve and adjustments must take place sooner or later for him to continue in this league.

He is very attracted to the deep ball, and forcing the big play happens too often. According to Pro Football Focus, Richardson attempted 11 passes of 20 or more yards while only throwing 10 passes of 10-yards or fewer. A big reason why he completed just 10 of 32 passes in the loss.

The Colts are luckily sitting with a .500 record, in part because veteran Joe Flacco won two of the three games that he played in. This is a team that has the ability to snag an AFC Wild Card spot and it looks less likely by the week with Richardson commanding the offense.

Going forward, there is a horshoe-sized question mark looming over the head of Richardson and his future in Indianapolis. If his play continues on the track that it is on, he will not survive his four-year contract on the Colts roster.

It will be interesting to see how he approaches adverse situations going forward and if he will tap the helmet and come out, or stay in the game and grind through the series. It will say a lot about his future in the NFL.

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