Anthony Richardson spent the Indianapolis Colts' previous two contests serving as a benched backup for veteran Joe Flacco, but Richardson then guided the Colts on a late game-winning six-play, 70-yard drive in Sunday's thrilling 28-27 victory at the New York Jets that improved the Colts to 5-6 on the season.
Following the win, Richardson spoke about how sitting behind Flacco for a couple of games helped the 22-year-old have some needed confidence heading into Sunday's matchup at MetLife Stadium.
"It kind of just let me relax a little bit," Richardson said about the demotion, per Stephen Holder of ESPN. "It just allowed me to take a step back and just clean up some things that I had to clean up. And that was really my focus, making sure when I did get the opportunity again, making sure I was at the best of my ability and I was doing the right thing for the team."
Richardson ranked last in the league in multiple categories and had taken himself out of Indianapolis' Week 8 loss to the Houston Texans because he was "tired" when head coach Shane Steichen turned to Flacco. Flacco played poorly in back-to-back losses, however, and Richardson then largely looked like a legitimate franchise quarterback against the Jets.
In total, Richardson completed 20-of-30 pass attempts for 272 yards with a touchdown to go along with two scores on the ground, the last of which he recorded with 46 seconds remaining in regulation.
"There really wasn’t any pressure on me," Richardson said about facing a Jets team that's an absolute mess this fall, as shared by Jimmy Hascup of NJ Advance Media for NJ.com. "I was just out there taking it one play at a time. I just focused on my assignment. I wasn’t trying to press or do anything too much."
According to the NFL's website, the Colts began Monday with a 33 percent chance of making the playoffs following Sunday's win. While Richardson seemed to flip a figurative switch versus the Jets, he'll next go up against a 9-1 Detroit Lions side that may feature the league's best overall roster.
As of Monday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook listed the Colts as eight-point underdogs for this coming Sunday's home game against the Lions.
