Anthony Richardson’s situation seems to have reached a dead end in Indianapolis, or at least a long pause, after his mediocre performance and a controversial play in the 23-20 loss against the Texans tested the Colts’ patience.
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This Tuesday, the coaching staff led by Shane Steichen met and made the decision to send Richardson to the bench and name veteran Joe Flacco as the starting quarterback for the Colts, starting on Sunday night against the Vikings.
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Why did the Colts decide to send Richardson to the bench?
Many of Richardson's shortcomings, the fourth pick in the 2023 Draft, are related to his lack of competitive experience: at the University of Florida, he was only a starter in 13 games, and with the Colts he has a total of 10 (his rookie season only lasted until Week 5 before suffering a serious injury, and in 2024 he has already missed two games due to physical issues).
Giving him more time for his talent to mature seems like reason enough to hand the ball to Flacco, who has better numbers than Richardson and also demonstrated his efficiency in 2023 when he arrived in Cleveland as an emergency to save the Browns' season with a playoff berth included.
But what happened on Sunday in Houston seems to have exhausted the patience of coaches, fans, and specialized press: in the third quarter, in a third and goal situation, Richardson made the decision to leave the field and force Flacco's entry to take just one snap. "I was tired", was the candid confession of the former Florida quarterback after the game.
That explanation is below the standard of any American football team, reflects immaturity, and leaves him in a bad light with the rest of his teammates.
Richardson's numbers also justify the decision to bench him: he is the worst QB in the NFL in terms of completion percentage (44.4%) and has the worst rating, with 7 interceptions in 133 pass attempts.
The Colts are 4-4, still with playoff chances.
Stevenson becomes the center of criticism in Chicago
Another second-year player who is struggling is Bears cornerback Tyrique Stevenson.
The Chicago team, undeservedly, was ahead 15-12 this Sunday in the game against the Commanders in Washington with 25 seconds left, and it seemed like they would achieve their fourth consecutive victory. But a "Hail Mary" pass from Jayden Daniels allowed Noah Brown to score a miraculous TD and secure a 19-15 victory for the team from the capital.
To add salt to a very painful wound for the suffering Bears fans, after the defeat, an image of Stevenson went viral, who with his back to the play was more concerned with mocking Washington's fans. Upon realizing that Daniels was about to release a 65-yard pass, the cornerback rushed to try to intercept the ball, but instead of knocking it to the ground as the playbook dictates, he barely touches it so that it falls gently into Brown's hands.
Stevenson apologized through social media, but his lack of concentration, Chicago's poor offensive performance, and a fumble on the 1-yard line due to a complicated play, have shifted the focus of criticism towards the head coach Matt Eberflus' abilities and especially towards his mediocre offensive coordinator, Shane Waldron.
Cleveland achieves an unlikely victory now that they have a good QB
Last week, the Browns lost Deshaun Watson for the entire season due to an injury. Watson, the quarterback who is considered one of the worst deals in the NFL thanks to the multimillion-dollar contract he signed in Cleveland, had led the team to a 1-6 record in the 2024 season.
The veteran Jameis Winston, who arrived in Cleveland from the Saints after losing the starting position there, took on the offensive leadership against the Ravens and played a great game with 334 yards and three touchdowns. The last touchdown was a pass to Cedric Tillman with 59 seconds left to play, sealing the surprising 29-24 victory over Baltimore.
This Monday, coach Kevin Stefanski confirmed that Winston will be the starter in Cleveland, ruling out the option of Dorian Thompson-Robinson.
Russell Wilson leaves behind the controversy over the Steelers' starting position.
The Steelers defeated the Giants 26-18 in the Monday Night game and seem to have put behind the controversy over the starting quarterback position.
Russell Wilson, who threw for 278 yards, 1 touchdown, and had no interceptions, seems to vindicate coach Mike Tomlin's decision to opt for the veteran once he recovered from injury and send Justin Fields, who started the first six games with a record of 4-2, to the bench.
Last week, Wilson had his first game and led Pittsburgh to victory over the Jets, the other New York team.
The former quarterback of Seattle and Denver has better pocket awareness than Fields, reads plays better, and has been able to establish a better rhythm with talented receiver George Pickens.
In addition to sports reasons, the Steelers would benefit from Wilson being the starting quarterback for operational reasons: in the agreement with the Chicago Bears, Pittsburgh gave up a sixth-round draft pick in exchange for Justin Fields, but it will be a fourth-round pick if the former Ohio State quarterback plays the majority of snaps at the quarterback position.