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Anthony Richardson only played in four games as a rookie and finished just two of them. The Indianapolis Colts were 0-2 in both with losses to the Jacksonville Jaguars and Los Angeles Rams in overtime.
There weren’t many expectations for the Colts fourth overall selection in 2023 simply because there wasn’t a lot of college experience to know what kind of quarterback he will be in the NFL. Those same sentiments can be applied to his “sophomore season” simply because he only played in 173 snaps last season.
- 50/84 (59.5%) for 577 yards with 3 touchdowns and 1 interception
- 25 rush attempts for 136 yards and 4 rushing touchdowns
The Athletic’s James Boyd co-hosted Query & Company with Jimmy Cook on Monday afternoon and the first thing they discussed regarding Richardson’s expectations were games played.
- Jimmy Cook – 14 or 15 games played
Boyd labeled that as his sweet spot for determining it a successful season for the former Florida Gator. The second conversation they had about the 22-year-old pertained to his accuracy.
- 2021 – 38/64 (59.4%)
- 2022 – 176/327 (53.8%)
- 2023 – 50/84 (59.5%)
AR had one game below 45% as a rookie and three games above 60%. In those three games, Richardson was 39/59 (66.1%). If he was that passer for all seventeen games last season, Richardson would have finished thirteen in completion percentage. There’s no certainty that Richardson will even be within the top ten in completion percentage in his career because of how the Colts want to play offensively.
CBS4 & FOX59’s Mike Chappell gave his perspective on what he wants to see from Richardson from a completion percentage standpoint.
“I wonder if this is never going to be a 65% or 67% thrower just because. The pass game is really going to be interesting because I just wonder if he’s going to be that guy. After one year in college and four games, you can’t be who you’re going to be but I’m not going to hold him to a high bar. Now he needs to be 60 percent.” Chappell stated Monday afternoon.
National media in the recent weeks have started the Anthony Richardson hype train. A lot of that having to do with fantasy football, but there’s still a lot of optimism surrounding Richardson. The sportsbooks have picked up on the steam too with Richardson’s odds for season awards.
- MVP – +3000 (tied for 13th best odds)
- OPOY – +4000 (tied for 15th best odds)
- Comeback Player of the Year – +600 (4th best odds behind Aaron Rodgers, Joe Burrow, and Kirk Cousins)
Jimmy and James also debated on what it would take for Richardson to be in consideration for those season awards.
To listen to Jimmy Cook and James Boyd’s conversation about their expectations for Anthony Richardson, download the podcast containing the conversation below! You can always listen to the Query & Company from 12pm-3pm on 93.5/107.5 The Fan. You can also watch and interact with the show by going to the 107.5 The Fan YouTube Channel.
