Anthony Richardson To Miss Season Finale
Source: Luke Hales / Getty
INDIANAPOLIS – Injuries will end up sidelining Anthony Richardson for 4 total games during the 2024 season.
A late-season back injury led to Richardson not practicing/playing in the final two weeks.
“Didn’t make enough progress with the back,” was how Shane Steichen described Richardson missing the season finale, following the final practice of the regular season.
The head coach says the organization doesn’t believe Richardson will need off-season surgery to correct the “serious spasm issue.”
Joe Flacco will get another start for the Colts.
It doesn’t sound like the Colts gave much thought to giving 26-year-old Sam Ehlinger the start, despite nothing to play for on the playoff front.
“We just feel good about Joe,” Steichen said on Friday. “Sam’s done some good things. I got nothing but great things to say about Sam. He’s just the ultimate teammate, ultimate pro.”
Earlier this week, Richardson mentioned that this back issue is something that dated back to the 8th grade for him.
However, Steichen says it is not something the Colts discovered during Richardson’s draft evaluation in 2023.
“Our trainers and our doctors do extensive research on that stuff,” Steichen said. “There were no issues that were shown there. That’s not to say he didn’t have anything when he was really young.
“It was just something that flared up last week.”
Richardson is the only player on the Colts 53-man roster ruled out for Sunday’s season finale vs. the Jaguars.
With Richardson missing Sunday, it marks the 4th time an injury has sidelined him from action (1 due to concussion, 12 due to right shoulder, 2 due to oblique, 2 due to back). He’s missed 19 games (17 due to injury, 2 due to benching) and played in 15 games in his career. Injuries have caused Richardson to miss half (17 of 34 games) of his games through 2 NFL seasons.
Yes, 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 financial decision on AR’s 5th year team option following next season.
But the lingering question of, “can you run an effective Richardson offense and keep him healthy?” remains a clear concern.
