Source: Bryan M. Bennett / Getty
The Indianapolis Colts picked up their first win of the 2023 season on Sunday, beating their divisional rivals the Houston Texans on their homefield 31-20.
It was the Colts first win in 308 days; the last time they were in the win column, Jeff Saturday was the interim coach, Matt Ryan was back in the starting lineup, and they surprised a Las Vegas Raiders team that was also objectively terrible.
However, despite the victory, there was an aura of unease coming from Colts fans following the win. That’s because for the 2nd straight game, rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson could not finish the game due to injury. Last week, he was pulled in the closing seconds after suffering a knee bruise. Sunday, he could barely finish the 1st quarter, as he was pulled early in the 2nd after self-reporting concussion symptoms. It is believed he suffered the concussion on his 2nd touchdown run of the game.
It is unknown if Richardson will be able to play against the Ravens in Week 3 but based on how the Colts handled Drew Ogletree following his concussion in Week 1, there is a good chance he won’t. The underlying issue, and the one that is making Colts fans uneasy, is the idea that this could be a harbinger of things to come.
Colts fans are quite familiar with star quarterbacks suffering injuries. We don’t need to rehash the long-term ramifications from Andrew Luck’s shocking retirement in 2019. Richardson wouldn’t even be in Indy if not for Luck walking away, the Colts being unable to find a replacement in the years following. It’s understandable why some may be worried about his ability to stay healthy.
Richardson will always be a mobile quarterback. That is a huge part of his game, and it will be especially during the first few years of his career as he grows as a passer. That being said, the Colts would be wise to sit him down and really instill just how important it is that he take care of himself. On the touchdown run he was injured on, it appears that he throttled down as he reached the endzone, exposing himself to that shot. Hopefully, the lesson has been learned that he can’t do that. This is the NFL; get in the endzone, or get down or out of bounds. Otherwise, you are going to take a hit, and those will add up, even if you are an uber-athletic quarterback.
During Monday’s edition of The Ride With JMV, John spoke to Stephen Holder of ESPN. They talked in depth about Richardson’s concussion, if he will be able to play against the Ravens, and if the Colts will be able to teach him to protect himself before the injuries begin to pile up. Listen to that conversation and more below, and tune into The Ride With JMV weekdays from 3-6pm on 93.5/107.5 The Fan!
