Jaguars' Hated Rival Slammed For Mishandling of QB Situation

The Indianapolis Colts continue to catch flack for their odd decision to bench Anthony Richardson for an underperforming Joe Flacco.

Nov 10, 2024; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indianapolis Colts quarterback Joe Flacco (15) heads off the field Sunday, Nov. 10, 2024, after losing 30-20 to the Buffalo Bills at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. Mandatory Credit: Grace Smith-USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images / Grace Smith-USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images

While the Jacksonville Jaguars are battling through questions about the health of their starting quarterback, a divisonal rival is uping the ante with quarterback dramatics.

The Indianapolis Colts made the shocking move to bench former 2023 top-five pick Anthony Richardson two weeks ago, opting to replace him with a journeyman veteran in Joe Flacco. While Flacco shined down the stretch for the Cleveland Browns a year ago, he has failed to produce similar results with the Colts.

Since taking over for Richardson as the Colts' starting quarterback, Flacco has completed 67.7% of his passes for 451 yards with two touchdowns and four interceptions. Three of those interceptions came in Week 9's 30-20 loss to the Buffalo Bills, including a first-quarter pick-six.

As a result of Flacco not just bringing inconsistency, but also back-breaking mistakes, the Colts are deservedly receiving plenty of criticism for their decision to bench Richardson. One such piece of criticism comes from The 33rd Team's Marcus Mosher.

"The Colts are now 0-2 since inserting Joe Flacco into the starting lineup in favor of Anthony Richardson. It certainly isn’t all his fault, as the Colts played two of the best teams in the league (Vikings, Bills), but Flacco has not helped. He was horrendous on Sunday, throwing interceptions on his first two drives. In fact, the Colts' first play of the game was a pick-six to Johnson to give the Bills an early lead," Mosher said.

The Colts have quickly gone from being a team right in the mix of things in the AFC South to one that looks like it is seeing its season unravel right in front of them. Unless Flacco can quickly pick things up and put them back together, the Colts and head coach Shane Steichen will continue to catch deserved criticism for what could be a season-ending decision.

"On Sunday, Flacco threw three interceptions and took four sacks as the offense struggled all day long. A late touchdown to Alec Pierce made the final score look a lot closer than it truly was. Flacco has not produced the desired results for Shane Steichen that he was hoping for, and the offense continues to be in a funk," Mosher continued.

"The Colts are now 4-6, and the season is starting to get away from them, and it’s happening with a 39-year-old quarterback under center. The Colts will travel to New Jersey to take on the Jets in Week 11, and another loss by Flacco in that game should force Steichen to put Richardson back into the starting lineup.

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