The Indianapolis Colts faced the Baltimore Ravens for their first preseason game, and to put it mildly, it did not go well. Not only did the Colts lose, but the quarterback experiment completely blew up in Shane Steichen's face.
Not content to have Anthony Richardson and Daniel Jones take turns during training camp, he also announced before the game that the same would happen throughout the preseason.
For the first preseason game, Richardson was meant to play the first quarter and then switch out with Jones. But catastrophe quickly struck when Richardson took a brutal hit that dislocated his pinkie finger.
Colts' Anthony Richardson gets good news that Daniel Jones won't like
“He hit me, then I was just trying to make sure I had the ball, and I just looked down, and I saw my finger in a different direction,” Richardson said after the game. “I’m like, ‘Maybe I’m trippin’,’ but I looked at it again, and it was definitely like that. So, I was like, ‘I gotta get this thing popped back in place.’”
Replay of #Colts QB Anthony Richardson’s finger injury on his right/throwing hand. Looks like it’s his pinky, which obviously isn’t supposed to point that way. pic.twitter.com/Y3PCniZ92X
— James Boyd (@RomeovilleKid) August 7, 2025
Reportedly, Richardson wanted to go back into the game, but Steichen would not let him.
That gave none other than Danny Dimes the opportunity to prove himself after a Richardson injury, yet again. And unfortunately for Jones, he may have blown it. He finished with a measly 10 for 21 and a 47 percent completion percentage.
As has been pointed out before, Jones is going to need to do much more than just be adequate if he wants to win the QB1 job. The Colts have a lot of time, energy, and money invested in Richardson, and being just OK isn't going to make Indianapolis suddenly willing to throw all of that away.
Jones may have had more opportunities to prove himself had Richardson's injury been worse. But he instead will still have to battle things out, as X-rays have reportedly found that Richardson's finger injury was not serious, and he could be back to throwing by Saturday.
Obviously, Richardson has a lot to do if he wants to prove he's able to stay healthy throughout the course of an entire season - and so far, he hasn't done a great job this offseason. But his play has been improving.
It might not be enough to convince Colts fans that he can be a legitimate franchise quarterback, but it will likely be enough to beat out Danny Dimes... if he's able to stay on the field, anyway.