How Anthony Richardson settled down and started balling.
After Indianapolis Colts’ QB Anthony Richardson was benched for Joe Flacco two weeks ago, many wondered what his future in the NFL would be. I gave some reasons why he was seemingly regressing in his last game before his benching, but above anything else I really just thought the kid was playing too amped up, too tight. That’s natural for a player who hasn’t even had a full season’s worth of starts under his belt. Add that on top of subbing himself out because he got tired and you got a shit stew cookin’.
Richardson took the starting job back, and on Sunday looked like the player we were all promised. A statline of 20-of-30, 272 yards, and three total touchdowns in a win is nothing to sneeze at (despite it being the Jets), but what stood out to me the most was his relaxation. He looked like he was playing with much more control and less jittery, and you could see the explosive plays that he could make in the Colts’ 28-27 win over the Jets. Let’s get into the film room and see how he did it.
I think the first thing that stood out was the play action usage by the Colts. Of Richardson’s 32 dropbacks against the Colts, 17 of them used play action. The 53% play action rate is the highest Richardson has used in any game he started and finished this season (used play action on three out of four dropbacks against the Steelers, but he didn’t finish that game due to injury. On those 17 dropbacks against the Jets, Richardson was 9/15 for 100 yards, generating chunk plays without needing to do the super high QB stuff. I’m confused on why the Colts didn’t use this plan earlier with Richardson, because of how powerful and dynamic their run game is with Richardson back there with RB Jonathan Taylor.
Look at how those linebackers come all the way up with the run fake, leaving this deep over window wide open. This is an easy strike for Richardson to take and make, and should become a staple of the Colts’ offense.
Again, a similar play off a run fake, and the linebackers vacate the window for the over. The receiver to the other side clears out the safety, and Richardson is left with the easy throws. More of this, please and thank you!
Richardson also added eight carries on designed runs, which we’ll get to in a little bit. Those eight carries on designed QB runs were the most he’s had in a single game this season, and it’s something that the Colts should keep bringing into the arsenal.
Now, let’s get to the good stuff. As I said above, Richardson’s process wasn’t bad before he got benched, but the speed at which he was playing was far too fast, and it would throw off his accuracy. Against the Jets, it felt like watching what Richardson can be as a passer, with some really high level throws in there.
One of my favorites was on this hi-lo concept he worked for 20 yards, so let’s set the stage here. Richardson has WR Alec Pierce to his left, along with TE Mo Alie-Cox. Also to his left in the backfield is Jonathan Taylor. To his right are WRs Michael Pittman Jr. and Josh Downs, kinda stacked next to each other. The Jets are playing Cover 3 with rotation to the strength (the formation’s left: more receiving threats over there). Richardson checks to make sure it’s Cover 3 at the snap, then immediately goes to work on this hi-lo. He wants to work this dig in to Pittman, but he has to move that linebacker. Watch him give a little shoulder shimmy and separate the ball from his hand to get the LB to commit, then fire it in behind him. That’s some #realhoopin right there by Anthony Richardson.
On what would become the game-winning drive by Richardson, he simply became incendiary, lighting the Jets up with some nice process and execution all the way down the field. The 39-yard completion to Pierce was such good work by Richardson, fooling CB Sauce Gardner.
The Jets are in “Palms” coverage on this play. Palms is a complement to Quarters where the outside corner (Gardner in this case) is reading the route distribution. If the second receiver is out to the flat within five yards, Gardner takes him. It’s designed to pick on teams who assume the second receiver will have leverage on an out route against the nickel. Richardson sees Gardner’s hips turned to the sideline, understanding he’s reading the route distribution, and gives the out route a quick pump fake. This buys him enough time to let off a howitzer down the sideline to Pierce, beating Gardner and the safety for a big play.
The very next play, Richardson beats the Jets with a seam rip to Downs against Quarters coverage. Look at the anticipation Richardson uses on this throw, letting it fly before Downs can even turn his head. Just an incredibly impressive throw to take and make given the circumstances in the game.
Then, he finishes off the drive by doing his best impression of a steamroller, putting CB DJ Reed on his highlight tape. Just an insane finish to the game for Richardson, a finish that probably felt good after everything he went through. The Colts were hitting the Jets with that pin-pull QB run the entire game, and here it finally broke through.
Yes, it’s one game, which is why I’m not fully declaring Richardson back and the Colts’ season saved. However, he showed some encouraging signs of growth, primarily in how much it looked like the game slowed down for him. He wasn’t speeding through progressions, the footwork felt cleaner and he was incredibly confident in each throw he made. There were some warts (the short-area accuracy had some misses), but I didn’t even talk about this bananas play he made under pressure:
Watching how Richardson grows week over week will be one of my favorite things to peruse as the season goes on. Watching how he continues to make the game slower for himself will be intriguing, and could provide more reason for excitement come 2025.
