After watching the Indianapolis Colts get their first win of the season in Week 3 over the Chicago Bears, some folks are choosing to take a negative approach to the postgame reactions and content.
Specifically, there are growing narratives building around second-year quarterback Anthony Richardson, who had a rough outing in the win.
Richardson completed just 10 of 20 passes for 167 yards, zero touchdowns and two interceptions. His decision-making was erratic, and the two interceptions could have easily been avoided, especially the first one, which wound up in the hands of linebacker Tremaine Edmunds.
Now that the game is over, these narratives are flying around ... and they're not pretty, nor are they necessarily level-headed.
Anthony Richardson will pull off something incredible, then follow it up with a move that’ll have you like WTF🙄#NFL pic.twitter.com/dUPk1nm3fo
— TurfPicks™️ (@TurfPicksdfs) September 22, 2024
How about this silly take courtesy of Barstool Sports:
"It's almost like he has too much time to think. Like he has the yips or something. I've never heard of a quarterback having the yips. Quarterback doesn't seem like a position that should be prone to yips ... To be honest, he may have been born with them."
Other reactions and analysis have included the often-used term "inaccurate" when describing Richardson's performance, which is certainly fair. Richardson has struggled with accuracy this year, but at times, he's made some of the most incredible throws we've ever seen from a Colts quarterback -- and that's high praise.
It's always going to be tough to escape criticism at the quarterback position, especially as a young one playing for a team that once saw the likes of Peyton Manning and Andrew Luck under center.
But, for folks to be throwing in the towel and panicking over Richardson's first seven starts as a pro?
That's ludicrous.
What's even worse is to call Richardson a "bust" after making only seven career starts. It's hilarious. It's dangerous. It needs to be stopped.
If the Colts moved on from Anthony Richardson in the near future, they'd be taking a massive risk
The Colts don't seem to be wavering in their support for Richardson. But, for fans or media to suggest that Richardson is a bust, or that the organization should be panicking, is just plain foolish.
Look around the league at some recent former first-round picks who have seen their initial teams give up on them far too soon. You've got Sam Darnold excelling in Minnesota, Justin Fields undefeated in Pittsburgh, and Baker Mayfield earning a hefty contract after Tampa Bay took their chances on him.
If the Colts even entertained moving on from Richardson after such a small sample size -- even after the entirety of the 2024 season -- it could cause them serious trouble, and be the reason for much regret down the line.
Indy cannot afford to feed into these ridiculous narratives, but instead, should continue supporting Richardson and helping best develop him into the guy they believe he can be. It's that simple.