This season’s been one full of injuries for all sides, I suppose every season is, really. But that means there’s had to be a lot of hasty shuffling around of players to keep a full squad. That isn’t easy when you want to have a stable roster with which to find consistent success. So you can imagine how frustrated Indianapolis Colts coach Shane Steichen would have felt after Anthony Richardson walked off mid-game. This happened in the 3rd quarter of their game against the Houston Texans, and he just said he was “tired.”

Now, we don’t know if that’s the reason Richardson was benched, but nonetheless, it’s Joe Flacco starting against the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday. There are uncountable masses of prospective quarterbacks trying to break into the league. So seeing one give up their shot must be disheartening to other players, no? Well, Richardson’s teammate, Michael Pittman Jr. came out in his support. When asked about whether Richardson will be back, he said “Absolutely. … I think that he’s going about it the right way. He showed up here early, and he’s been doing everything that he did before he heard this news.”

As a wide receiver, Pittman has paired pretty well with Richardson. In the 10 games they’ve played together, Pittman’s caught 43 catches from Richardson for 500 yards and 1 touchdown. There’s also a sense of mutual respect between the two, and given how Pittman found out about the change (over social media, apparently, not through a team meeting), it must have come as a shock. Flacco and Pittman work together pretty well too, though. In the 4 games they’ve played together, Pittman’s caught 15 catches for 201 yards, with 2 touchdowns.

So the Flacco call might not be a terrible one. Even besides the Texans’ game antics, Richardson’s got a spotty record. In his career so far his completion rate stands at a measly 50.2%, and even lower at 44.4% this season. Not the kind of numbers you’d imagine a 4th overall pick would sport, but then things haven’t been easy. He suffered a series of injuries in his rookie season last year that meant he only played 4 games. Pair that with his hip injury this season and you can predict what would have driven him to walk off the field. There is a risk of playing too much into speculation though. So let’s just take things as they stand: Flacco’s in, Richardson’s out, and his teammates think he’ll be back again.

Do the Colts still have a chance of making the playoffs sans Richardson?

A drastic change mid-season might bode poorly for the stability of the Colts’ campaign. You’ve also got to factor in how things stand in the AFC South division. The Houston Texans have been in fine form since the start of the season, and don’t look to be slowing down anytime soon. Standing at 6-3 to the Colts’ 4-4, they don’t perhaps look like an insurmountable challenge, but a significant one nonetheless.

Flacco’s been playing in the league since before Obama took office, he’s got heaps of experience. And while you can’t say age hasn’t slowed him down at all, he’s still got a great arm. A completion percentage of 65.7% is respectable, and while 179 yards/game on average is in the bottom half of the league, it’s perfectly decent. He saved their bacon that first game Richardson got injured against the Steelers, and he’s had good performances since.

Flacco can take the Colts places if they let him, this could be his swansong year. Their next two games are against the Vikings and the Bills, two of the strongest sides in the league right now. There is the fact that the Colts beat the Vikings in 4 of their last 5 games, but the Vikings frankly feel like a whole other side this year. Perhaps the Colts can topple them, let’s see.

If you’d like to learn more about the NFL’s growth on the global stage, be sure to check out our latest Think Tank Exclusive, featuring Emily and Erin Griffin.