The Indianapolis Colts lost starting quarterback Anthony Richardson early in the team’s Week 4 matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Richardson was knocked out of the game in the first quarter after taking some big hits from the Steelers’ defense. While Joe Flacco played well in his place, the Colts are standing by Richardson as the starting quarterback when he’s healthy enough to play.
As it turns out, Richardson could be healthy enough to play as early as Week 6 after the second-year QB returned to practice as a full participant on Thursday, per NFL insider Tom Pelissero on X.
Richardson missed most of the team’s matchup against the Steelers and sat out Week 5 when the Colts took on the Jacksonville Jaguars. Flacco filled in well, leading Indy to a win over Pittsburgh and nearly mounting a wild comeback against the Jaguars. The veteran signal caller was 33/44 for 359 yards and three touchdowns in Week 5. Flacco’s heroic effort last Sunday fell just short as Jacksonville escaped with a 37-34 win despite the Colts scoring 24 fourth quarter points.
Colts QB Anthony Richardson got beat up by the Steelers in Week 4
Indianapolis is facing multiple injuries to key offensive players. While Richardson has been dealing with an oblique ailment, an ankle injury kept running back Jonathan Taylor sidelined in Week 5. Taylor has yet to resume practicing and is in serious danger of missing Week 6.
Josh Downs was able to return to action for the Colts but the team lost wideout Michael Pittman to a back injury that he picked up against the Jaguars. The fifth-year receiver is expected to miss multiple games.
The Colts are in second place in the AFC South. They face the Tennessee Titans on the road in Week 6. The team will likely welcome Richardson back on Sunday and hope to improve to 3-3 on the season. Although there has been speculation that the Colts could turn to Flacco over Richardson since the preseason, the sophomore QB has his coach’s confidence and an opportunity to secure the starting job moving forward with a strong performance in his return.
