This has been a pretty bad season for injuries across the NFL. You’ve got injuries to quarterbacks, wide receivers, running backs, and loads more on defense. With everyone running around trying to plug the gaps, it’s difficult to keep a stable team together. We’ve had rookies get chances ahead of time, bench warmers get called up to see action, and unlikely transfers executed just so injury stricken squads can be kept afloat. That’s what makes it so frustrating when a player decides to bench himself when he’s not even injured. Yes, we’re talking about Anthony Richardson.

After the baffling decision by Richardson to settle for the sideline and let Joe Flacco take over during their game against the Texans, Coach Shane Steichen’s being non-specific in his replies. When asked if Richardson would be starting against the Vikings on Sunday, he had just 4 words: “We’re evaluating everything.”

Well, they’ve certainly got a mess on their hands. Richardson reportedly felt “tired” when he walked off the field. While you get that from running backs or wide receivers sometimes, a quarterback’s role is less active. Sure, it’s intensive in its own way, but seeing a quarterback just give up like that is demoralizing.

Football stars can be divas, but you’ve got to kind of earn that right first. While this is Anthony Richardson’s 2nd year in the league, he barely played last year, through no fault of his own. He was the 4th overall pick, the Colts would have wanted to get everything they wanted out of him. He played a grand total of 4 games that season, after a concussion made him miss one game, and then an ACL injury took him out of the season. Despite the limited playtime, he showed he’d justified his pick, with 4 rushing and 3 passing touchdowns in just those 4 2023 games.

2024 was his chance to prove it wasn’t a fluke. But then came that hip injury in the Indianapolis Colts v Pittsburgh Steelers game. It wasn’t pretty, and it put him out of commission for the next two games. This is when Joe Flacco, a living legend who won the 2012 Super Bowl with the Ravens, had to step up. And while he might not have blown everyone out of the water, for a short while there, the Colts were looking exciting. Even now, with far less game time than Richardson’s had, Flacco boasts 7 touchdowns to Richardson’s 4. Calls to bench Richardson till he becomes less temperamental have emerged. And they might not be entirely unjustified.

Where do the Colts stand with or without Richardson?

The game against the Houston Texans that Richardson bowed out of was kind of a turning point. If the Colts had won it, they’d have been tied 5-3 at the top of AFC South. As it stands, the Texans now have a comfortable 2 win lead over the Colts. Things do not look like they’ll be getting easier anytime soon either. The Colts’ next two games come against the Vikings and the Bills, two of the strongest teams in the league right now. Some regarded the Vikings’ win streak early on as a fluke, and now on a 2 game losing streak, it’s up to them to set matters straight.

Is Joe Flacco a good enough quarterback to rally the team to take on their opponents? He’s got the experience, he’s humble and effective, and he’s fluid on the field. It’s a shame he’s 39, the 2nd oldest active quarterback in the league, but he’s in shape. You do have to consider how the Colts fared in the two games he started though. Those were against the Jaguars and the Titans, two of the worst performing teams this year. You can’t really blame Flacco for it (he threw 359 yards and 3 touchdowns) but they handed the Jags their first win of the season, losing 37-34. And then they did beat the Titans, but it was a close run at 20-17.

While Flacco has the experience and the talent, the team doesn’t play around him yet. Anthony Richardson might need coddling, but he’s a gifted player. If they can coax him back to the field, he absolutely should play. It’s possible the fear of injury’s what pushed him off the field that day, even if nothing physically happened. You’ll hear a lot of talk about mental health from the big sports associations, but not much action. Let’s hope Richardson can make it back to the field and give the Colts what they need.