How the tables turn! That would be the word used for Anthony Richardson, as he re-claimed his starting spot in Indianapolis. Well, he didn’t just answer his critics. Richardson engineering a comeback victory over the Jets with 46 seconds remaining on the clock. After sitting out the last two games behind 39-year-old Joe Flacco. The 22-year-old sent a strong message to everyone who questioned his capabilities.

One of his harshest critics was former Colts punter Pat McAfee. When he witnessed Richardson tapping out mid-game against the Texans in week 8. McAfee took to his X, where he bashed the sophomore QB for his antics, “I had never seen an NFL QB tap out while still being healthy until watching Anthony Richardson. The QB is your franchise. The message it sends is loud and influential.” Although Richardson returned on the next drive from his quick breather, the Colts ended up losing their game 23-20.

And the following day, after a whirlwind of criticism all over the NFL, Colts coach Shane Steichen decided to bench Richardson. However, his decision to promote Flacco didn’t do any good, as the Colts went on to lose consecutive games. This led to Steichen reinstating him again into the lineup. Well, that turned out to be a huge decision as he drove his team for two fourth-quarter TDs to keep their playoff hopes alive.

Seeing him make a return as a starter, Richardson’s teammate Zaire Franklin decided to bash the media for gaslighting him against his fans. Appearing on The Trenches show with E.J. Speed, Franklin urged the media to take some responsibility, “Use your platform responsibly. Come on, gang, and pick a side, too, like who’s team is y’all on?” When the word fan was mentioned to him, the Colts LB was like, “They not on the side of the fans. They’re manipulating and gaslighting them.” Soon after this interview went public, it caught the attention of McAfee, who gave his thoughts on it. Taking to his X, McAfee posted, “OH WOWWWWW.. I’m just now seeing this. Today should be fun.” 

Although it could be a direct exchange with Zaire’s take on Richardson’s criticism over one incident. There was a fan who rallied behind the Colts linebacker’s thoughts, “Love the show and respect ya Pat, but Z was speaking the truth on this one.” However, McAfee was in total disagreement as he replied, “And you don’t know b—.” While we wait for this possible heated exchange on social media. Richardson expressed his thoughts on coming back into the lineup.

Anthony Richardson wins back Indy’s trust with Jets win

It was a huge wake-up for the 22-year-old to find himself benched for a veteran to start ahead of him. However, Richardson didn’t allow that setback to get the better of him as he explained, “It kind of just let me relax a little bit. 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 get the opportunity again, making sure I was at the best of my ability and I was doing the right thing for the team.”

As for Richardson, he didn’t just do the right things. He played his best game yet last Sunday. Completing 20-of-30 passes, Richardson notched up 272 yards with two rushing and one passing TD. This was the first time in his NFL career he completed more than 250+ yards. Even Steichen couldn’t help but praise his young signal-caller, “He was putting in the work. He was ready to roll today.” Well, he capped off his impressive day with a final-minute 4-yard rushing TD that brought the Colts their first win in three weeks.

So, what’s next for Richardson and the Colts? A team that has only allowed 17.7 points per game. Yes, we are talking about the Lions. It would be a huge challenge for Richardson as he tries to keep his spot in the starting lineup.