NFL Expert Grades Indianapolis Colts in Power Rankings with Unreal Richardson Stat

 

Indianapolis Colts QB Anthony Richardson needs to bounce back.

Following a painful-to-watch 2024 NFL season, the Indianapolis Colts are looking to fix more than a few broken pieces to turn the ship around. Luckily for them, the AFC South kind of stinks outside of the Houston Texans and they hardly have a stranglehold on the division.

Frank Schwab of Yahoo! Sports is putting together his list of NFL power rankings because OTAs and minicamps are over, training camp doesn’t start for weeks and this is what we do to fill the time. And it’s fantastic.

So, where do the Colts rank on Schwab’s list? He has them as the No. 24-overall team in the league. His commentary on the Colts – of course – starts with quarterback Anthony Richardson, who is starting to flash the “needs a change of scenery” sign.

“Richardson was 12.9% worse in completion percentage than any other quarterback that had 250 attempts last season,” Schwab writes. “Tua Tagovailoa led the NFL in completion percentage at 72.9%; Richardson would have had to complete 245 passes in a row last season to match that. Despite all that, the Colts were close to a .500 team.”

Please read that again. That’s how bad Richardson was. He’d have to complete 245 passes in a row to reach the top of the league. But, his problems started before the NFL.

“Anthony Richardson had just 13 career college starts,” Schwab writes. “He had accuracy issues. He wasn’t consistent. There was a lot of work that needed to be done. The Colts ignored all of that, instead focusing on Richardson’s impressive physical profile. Looking back, he probably would have been a great mid-round developmental pick. The Colts took him fourth overall.”

Yes, even after being drafted that high in the 2023 NFL Draft just two years ago, Richardson has already lost the faith of many Colts fans. It’s certainly a make-or-break year and it’s still early in his career, but Richardson is surely looking like a mistake at this point.

“I didn’t want to look up and watch him be a superstar somewhere else,” said Colts general manager Chris Ballard after the draft.

Well, he might have to do it elsewhere because so far it doesn’t seem like he’s going to be a superstar in Indianapolis. Ballard might agree because this past offseason he signed former New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones to a one-year, $14 million deal to put some pressure on Richardson.

“It’s gotta be the right guy to create real competition,” Ballard said. “But we want to create real competition. I think it’s good for the team; I think it’s good for Anthony.”

Richardson has had his ups and downs in two years

Richardson is entering his third year in the NFL and right now it doesn’t seem like he’s going to be the Opening Day starter unless his shoulder gets healthy and he flashes his athletic ability in training camp. Even then it might not matter because early reports are that Jones looks solid.

“This is how the Richardson story has gone for the Colts,” Schwab writes “There have been a few highlights. There have been many more frustrations over his ineffectiveness as a passer, and setbacks due to injuries.

“If the Colts get to camp and Richardson is missing practice, limited when he does practice or compromised by his shoulder, it’s hard to believe head coach Shane Steichen (who is on the hot seat) would gamble his job on a quarterback who is unable to show tangible progress before the season starts.”

Now that Schwab mentions Steichen being on the hot seat, it also goes without saying that Ballard is too. He’s the one who pulled the trigger two years ago on Richardson.

Jones will be the lynchpin to a decent 2025 season

The Colts are most likely going to need a good season from Jones to make the playoffs. He doesn’t have to be spectacular, but he can’t be any facsimile of Richardson from 2024.

“The Colts were 8-9 last season, but it seemed like they were much worse due to the Richardson issue,” Schwab astutely notes. “Richardson was benched early in the season, and got his job back only because Joe Flacco was bad too. Richardson’s completion percentage for the season was 47.7%. The only other quarterbacks since 1988 with at least 250 attempts and a completion percentage under 48% are Stan Gelbaugh, Heath Shuler, Craig Whelihan, Akili Smith and Tim Tebow.”

So the Colts could have reason for optimism as long as Richardson doesn’t sniff the field.