Anthony Richardson To Miss Giants Game
Source: Icon Sportswire / Getty
INDIANAPOLIS – With the Colts playoff hopes dangling this weekend, they’ll have to do it without Anthony Richardson.
Back/foot ailments kept Richardson from practicing all week long, and the Colts have downgraded Richardson to OUT for Sunday’s game against the Giants. Joe Flacco will get his 5th start of the season in Week 17.
That news came on Saturday afternoon, following your typical gamesmanship from Shane Steichen on Friday in initially saying Richardson was questionable to play on Sunday.
Steichen said Richardson was “really sore” all week long, pointing to the back issue as more of the reason for the quarterback missing his first practice time of the season.
This marks the 4th time an injury has sidelined Richardson from action (1 due to concussion, 12 due to right shoulder, 2 due to oblique, 1 due to back/foot). He’s missed 18 games (16 due to injury, 2 due to benching) and played in 15 games in his career. He’s been available for 45 of the team’s 87 regular season practice the last 2 years.
Earlier in the week, Richardson was asked about the wear and tear on his body playing 11 games up to this point of the season.
“From the start of the season, you’re going to feel those hits the next day,” the second-year quarterback said. “It’s kind of weird because I was telling my family, like in college I didn’t really get sore. But NFL, it’s a different breed, different game. You have some grown men out there playing football, so it’s always a little different getting tackled by those guys. But it’s all part of it. You just have to keep adjusting and just keep your body right so you can keep performing.”
Without question, Richardson desperately needs to enter this offseason healthy. The 2025 offseason must be one where Richardson is healthy enough to make significant strides as a thrower before entering a critical third season, with the Colts having to make a decision on AR’s 5th year team option following next season.
Of course, reps are precious for him, especially ones late in the season with stakes higher.
Richardson has started and finished 7 straight games (5 straight since his benching), which is the longest stretch of his career.
These ailments popped up on the injury report this week for the first time all season. Before this week, Richardson had yet to miss a practice this season.
Since Richardson injured his oblique earlier this year, his return to game action has brought more commitment to him as a runner.
He’s averaging about 4 more carries per game since missing 2 games due to the oblique.
If Richardson is done for the season, he will have started 15 of 34 games in his NFL career, missing 17 games due to injury and being benched for 2 games.
In other Week 17 injury news, Colts WR-Alec Pierce has cleared concussion protocol. But CB-JuJu Brents (knee) will not return to game action, despite returning to practice each of the last two weeks. Brents hasn’t played for the Colts since the season opener.
The Colts will close the regular season next weekend vs. the Jaguars.
