It has been 10 years since the Indianapolis Colts last won a game in Week 1, when the team defeated the Oakland Raiders 21-17. That seems to be forever ago. The Colts have had some rough times since the Andrew Luck days, starting their eighth different quarterback in as many years. But that trend should finally be over starting next season after the Colts drafted the new face of the franchise: Anthony Richardson.
Even with a loss to the Jaguars, in what seemed to be a collapse in the final minutes of the game, which resulted in Anthony Richardson coming out for the final two plays after getting injured on a run towards the goal line, you could see the fight the team had in them.
In what was liekly the most exciting game to watch in recent years, the Colts almost quieted a lot of media and fans around the NFL after keeping up with the favorites to win the AFC South. With Trevor Lawrence, the Jaguars are a contender in the AFC, but they had some difficulties getting it done on Sunday.
With a loss on the record book, the Colts start the season at 0-1, but they won in many other ways. Here’s how.
5. Anthony Richardson looks to be ahead of schedule
There was a time after the draft and early in training camp where it was unclear if the franchise QB was going to start the season right away. Then he’s named the starter for Week 1 and many questioned the move.
The 21-year-old quarterback didn't play like he only had started 13 starts in his college career, as he was firing on almost all cylinders throughout the game. Anthony Richardson looked poised in the pocket and had a real command of the offense.
If you’re watching this and see that AR threw an INT and THAT is what you focus on… you’re still mad the Colts didn’t draft Levis.
— Justin Bauerle (@justinbauerle) September 10, 2023
Kid has BALLED today
Completing 24-of-37 passes for 233 yards with one touchdown and one interception, that was a pretty solid outing for the quarterback. Not to mention, Richardson added 10 rushing attempts for 40 yards and one touchdown.
If the rookie QB came out and threw for 200 yards, that would have been a success in all books considering the experience and the defense he was playing against. Many people will focus on the one interception, which is fine. That's what critics are for and what some fans tend to focus too much of their time on. Mechanics are still something that needs to be worked on. At the end of the day, Richardson showed that he was a leader and could command the offense.