Anthony Richardson boosts the Indianapolis Colts up the Week 12 power rankings

The Indianapolis Colts' quarterback controversy - and their losing streak - is officially over. After reinstating Anthony Richardson, the Colts defeated the New York Jets. It was a do-or-die game for the Colts on several different levels. Not only did they need to break their three-game losing streak if they wanted any hope of saving the 2024 season, it was also Richardson's first game back after being benched. Considering his issues earlier in the season, and accusations that he wasn't ready to lead an NFL team, the Jets game was a much-needed moment for Richardson to prove that he could be the future of this franchise.

Thankfully, the Colts succeeded on both measures. Richardson had the best game of his career, and the Colts could possibly still make it into the playoffs as a wild card. How did NFL experts react? Read on...

Pete Prisco, CBS Sports: #17 (23)

Anthony Richardson looked like a different guy against the Jets. Maybe the time off was good for him, but now this team faces the Lions.

Nate Davis, USA Today: #21 (21)

Did you know QB Anthony Richardson leads the league with 15.6 yards per completion? Or that WR Alec Pierce paces the NFL with 22.7 yards per catch? Still, with a collective 79.4 passer rating, only one AFC team (Tennessee) is less efficient than Indy.

Frank Schwab, Yahoo! Sports: #20 (21)

If the Anthony Richardson we saw Sunday (20 of 30, 272 yards, one passing TD, two rushing TDs) is what we’ll get the rest of the season, the Colts will be thrilled. That benching might end up being the perfect move.

Josh Kendall, The Athletic: #19 (21)

Shane Steichen’s handling of the quarterback situation did not instill confidence. Maybe that’s because he had to translate the thoughts of ownership and the front office, or maybe he’s just a second-year head coach not completely comfortable in the role yet. After declaring Joe Flacco his starter early last week, Steichen reversed course the next day and swapped to Anthony Richardson, who led a 70-yard drive and scored the winning touchdown on a 4-yard run inside the final minute Sunday. The win evened Steichen’s record at 14-14.

Stephen Holder, ESPN: #19 (20)

Preseason hot seat: S Nick Cross
Current temperature of hot seat: Cold

Cross is a third-year player who had lost his job as a rookie and performed poorly in limited action last season. But he has rewarded the Colts' faith in leaning on him as a key starter in the secondary this season, recording 2 interceptions, 102 tackles (second most on the team), 3 pass deflections and a forced fumble. He has been all over the field, making plays in run support and against the pass. 

Mike Florio, NBC Sports: #20 (22)

Old narrative, “You can’t bench a struggling young quarterback.” New narrative, “Benching a struggling young quarterback might be the best way to get the most out of him.”

Bleacher Report: #21 (22)

lt: Won vs. New York Jets 28-27

Now this is the Anthony Richardson that the Colts hoped for when they drafted the former Florida star with the No. 4 overall pick in 2023.

After being benched for Joe Flacco and then re-inserted into the starting lineup two weeks later, Richardson had easily his best game of the season. He went 20-of-30 for 272 yards, one touchdown and a passer rating north of 100. Richardson also ran for a pair of scores, including the game-winner.

While speaking to the media afterward, Richardson said his performance was simply a matter of relaxing and doing his job.

"I won't say I was the most prepared or most confident," Richardson said. "It was the most relaxed I've been. There really wasn't any pressure on me. 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."

The question is whether Richardson can string a few performances like this together. Because if he can, the Colts could be on to something.

Analyst's Take

Richardson seems to have gotten the message sent by head coach Shane Steichen.

A few weeks ago, Steichen claimed that Flacco gave the Colts their best chance to win. Maybe that was a way to make Richardson realize the demands of being a starting quarterback in the NFL.

Richardson responded with the best game of his career against the Jets. -- Brent Sobleski

Conor Orr, SI: #20 (20)

Going into this game, Anthony Richardson had a god-awful 48% completion rate when not under pressure. Against the Jets, he was pressured on about a third of his snaps and blitzed on about a quarter of his snaps and looked … really good. My thought is that Shane Steichen buried the Jets with constant play action—a league high for Week 11 at 48.5%—at a time when opponents feared Steichen was going to hide Richardson behind a running game. 

Eric Edholm, NFL: #20 (22)

If this win over the Jets was Anthony Richardson’s gateway to redemption, it’ll make for a heck of a story. Richardson came through in the clutch with two fourth-quarterTD drives, capping the second one with his second TD run of the game to pull off his first career fourth-quarter comeback and second career game-winning drive in one fell swoop. By no means was Richardson close to perfect in the game, fumbling twice and losing one of them, but it was a strong step in the right direction after his benching. Shane Steichen also seemed to guide Richardson well with a game plan that suited his skills, allowing the Colts to remain squarely in the playoff hunt, so it was a productive day all around. They’re on the outside looking in, and no Colts fans will view narrowly missing the playoffs again as a successful development, but they have a chance to rewrite the ending with at least four more winnable games on the schedule.

Vinnie Iyer, Sporting News: #18 (21)

The Colts went back to Anthony Richardson, and it paid off with big pass plays and timely running from the second-year QB. The win over the Jets was huge to keep them in the AFC wild-card race.