Jaguars Appear to Be Playing Flacco, Not Richardson, In Week 5

It looks like the Jacksonville Jaguars will face Joe Flacco and not Anthony Richardson when the Indianapolis Colts come into down.

Sep 29, 2024; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indianapolis Colts quarterback Joe Flacco (15) throws a pass during the second quarter against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images / Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images

It appears the Jacksonville Jaguars are set to face the grizzled veteran instead of the young gun in Week 5.

The Indianapolis Colts downgraded second-year quarterback Anthony Richardson to doubtful on Saturday, making it appear more and more likely the Jaguars will face Joe Flacco as they look for their first win of the season.

“Yes, almost two extremes. Kind of know both guys. We saw Anthony Richardson last year, obviously, first game, and we know how talented he is," Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson said this week.

"We've seen already his ability to throw the football this year. Flacco, we know from last year being at Cleveland and what he can do as well, throwing the football. I mean, it's a challenge either way and you’ve just got to trust your game plan. Stay disciplined in what you're doing and no matter who's out there, just execute that.”

The Jaguars played both quarterbacks last season, though they found much more success against Richardson than Flacco.

The Jaguars defeated the Colts and Richardson in Richardson's NFL debut in Week 1 last year, while Flacco came off the bench as a backup quarterback to tear the Jaguars' pass defense to shreds in a maddening loss to the Cleveland Browns during the Jaguars' late-season collapse.

There are some clear differences between the two passers; differences that may even mean Flacco is the safer option for the Colts.

Richardson leads the NFL in interceptions with six, but he has also been one of the NFL's top deep passers and he is one of the best dual threat players in the entire league.

With that said, Richardson has been among the worst quarterbacks this year on quick passing (under 2,5 seconds) plays and on short (10 yards or fewer) passing plays.

Those are two areas Flacco has thrived in, especially when he came in for relief for Richardson in Week 4 against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The Jaguars defense has prepared for both quarterbacks all week. They will be ready to play Flacco.

But Richardson's injury changes the entire complexion of this game. While the big plays downfield may decrease under Flacco, so will the turnovers.

And the dink and dunk passing game will go see a rise, something that may not be a positive for a Jaguars team that ranks in the bottom half of defenses against both quick passes and short passes.

But sitting at 0-4, none of that matters. The Jaguars simply have to find a way to win, and it will have to come against Flacco.

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