After a 17-10 first half against the Houston Texans, the Indianapolis Colts may see their quarterback controversy shaken up again after starter Anthony Richardson abruptly left the game in the beginning of the second half.
Despite an ugly start to the game, Richardson's performance in the second half seemed to be improving. During a drive in the end zone, Richardson escaped two sack attempts from the Texans (one of which was ultimately successful, albeit for zero yards), but something happened to take him off the field. He was replaced by backup QB Joe Flacco, who handed the ball off to running back Jonathan Taylor and set the Colts up for a field goal.
It remains unclear why Richardson left the game. Official word for now is that he wasn't injured, merely "shaken up," but he was seen tapping his helmet as he exited the field.
Anthony Richardson has come out of the game for the Colts pic.twitter.com/yscTEQ3sEf
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) October 27, 2024
Previously in the game, Richardson was seen with an injured left wrist, which he was rubbing on the sidelines, but didn't miss any time, calling into question what happened during this play. He returned to the field after taking that short break.
Whatever caused Richardson to step off the field - social media reactions are accusing him of being merely out of breath - it will undoubtedly set off the wildfire of speculation that Richardson is not fit to be the Colts starting quarterback. The Flacco-Richardson debate has been raging since the Colts saw much more success with Flacco, while Richardson was injured, than they did with their star QB.
Shane Steichen seems to firmly believe in Richardson, so it appears he will continue to be the future of this franchise. But what happens during the rest of this game could potentially have an impact on how the rest of the season plays out, and on who will lead the Colts offense as they try to claw their way to the playoffs.