Anthony Richardson Shows Up In Crunch Time – Again
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It may be stating the obvious to say that Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson is far from a finished product as a passer.
This has been the case all season, and it was once again true in the Colts 25-24 win over the New England Patriots on Sunday. Richardson’s passing numbers from that game are middling: 12-of-24 for 109 yards, 2 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. He was more effective as a runner, adding 48 yards and a touchdown on 9 attempts, but once again consistency through the air evaded him.
Some of that is on his pass catchers. Adonai Mitchell and Kylen Granson each had key drops, and while neither were “easy” catches, they were both ones you expect an NFL player to make. Unfortunately, they did not, which is sadly becoming a common occurrence for this group of receivers (and those two in particular). It doesn’t all fall on the receivers though, as Richardson had his own share of misses, which at this point in his career shouldn’t come as a surprise.
What did stand out the most from Richardson, however, was how once again, with the game on the line in the 4th quarter, he played at his best. Much like he did against the Jets, he made some clutch throws and then took the game-winning score in himself on a quarterback run. He’s also had clutch moments in losing efforts, like in his rookie season against the Rams.
True, neither the Jets nor the Patriots are any good this year, so having to mount a late comeback to get the win against them may be an indicator of where this team is overall. But on days where he wasn’t getting much help, the 22-year-old quarterback showed a lot of moxie and toughness by putting the team on his back and leading them to victory.
In a season that was supposed to be all about Richardson’s development, that is as positive of a sign as you can get.
During the Monday edition of The Ride With JMV, James Boyd of The Athletic joined the show and spoke about how Richardson has performed with the game on the line.
“The one thing that stood out, talking to players and the coaches in the locker room, they believe that Anthony has that ‘clutch gene’ and that ‘it-factor’ to make things happen when the game matters the most, and fittingly, this is a guy who has constantly said he looks up to Tom Brady, and it’s like okay, you had your ‘Tom Brady moment’ in the place that he was essentially a god for two decades, so it’s kind of fitting in that regard.”
Listen to JMV’s full conversation with James Boyd of The Athletic down below, and tune into The Ride With JMV weekdays from 3-6pm on 93.5/107.5 The Fan!
