It's been an eventful week or so for the Indianapolis Colts, as their quarterback situation has been one of the main talking points amongst NFL fans.
For those just catching up, in the Colts' Week 8 game against the Houston Texans, quarterback Anthony Richardson pulled himself out of the game for a play on a goal-to-go situation, and would later explain that he was "tired."
Couple that with some erratic performance, and head coach Shane Steichen decided to permanently bench Richardson in favor of veteran Joe Flacco, going forward. This would then lead to a week full of reactions, emotions and, quite frankly, kind of a mess in the locker room.
Some fans liked the move. Others did not. But, what we witnessed on Sunday Night Football might have told the real, true story. Above all else, the Colts might not have a quarterback problem. It may, in fact, be a Shane Steichen problem.
Flacco didn't do anything to prove he was the guy in that one against the Minnesota Vikings, and the Colts would go on to lose in a game the offense failed to score a touchdown.
In the day and a half since the loss, Steichen has not moved off of Flacco as his starter, either. Flacco remains the starting quarterback, and Richardson still sits at no. 2 on the depth chart. But, is this the right move?
Colts fans want Anthony Richardson back, and it's abundantly clear
The day after the loss, Nate Atkins of the Indy Star took to social media to post a poll of whom fans believe should be the Colts' starter against the Buffalo Bills in Week 10.
Now, this is not the end-all, be-all for Colts fans. Of course, this poll was not answered by every Colts fan there is. But, Atkins has a great pulse on the team and those who follow him tend to be Colts fans. Regardless, the results of the poll are staggering and one-sided.
I’m curious where #Colts fans are right now.
— Nate Atkins (@NateAtkins_) November 4, 2024
Who should start at QB on Sunday against the Bills:
In a landslide, 90 percent of voters believe Richardson should be the starter, pulling the rug from beneath Flacco after just one start. This also comes after the "Free Anthony Richardson" movement exploded on social media over the past few days, as well.
That should speak volumes. Now, there's probably not a good chance Atkins shares this information with Steichen, so the poll isn't going to be handed over to the Colts' coaching staff or anything like that. But, this should be a pretty good representation of how fans feel.
Should Steichen be listening to the fans?
It isn't only the fans who feel this way, either, though. There are plenty of media members and former players who could tend to agree that Richardson should be on the field. It's not an easy situation to navigate at this point, and Steichen has his work cut out for him.
How much longer will Flacco last?