Stampede Blue
“The guys told me to take some time off, but the next day (after the Patriots game) I hit coach Shane [Steichen] up,” Richardson said.
Anthony Richardson has started 13 games at the professional level, the same number of games he started in college at Florida. Not only will this next matchup versus Denver mark the most games (14) that Richardson has started at any level in the sport of football, but it’s the biggest stakes game that he will have played in.
Per Colts.com, if Indianapolis (6-7) beats Denver (8-5), the Colts’ playoff hopes jump from 30% to 66%, and if they lose, the odds decrease from 30% to 9%, so it’s more or less a must-win game for head coach Shane Steichen and company.
Anthony Richardson understood the balance of rest and recovery but also preparation for a game as big as the upcoming Broncos matchup, explaining to media members, “It’s a bye week, but we’re still putting in work throughout the week. Still getting ready for each coming up, and we know we have a big one coming up. We were just locked in throughout the whole bye week.”
Richardson would go on to explain that getting in as much film study as possible during the elongated break between games is crucial to understanding what you’re going against in a game as big as this one versus the Broncos. When it comes to all that he was able to learn during said time off, Richardson shared that Denver’s defense has a great pass rush and defensive backfield, which in turn complements one another.
When asked if Denver’s talent at pass rusher and defensive back poses any issue that would suggest a lesser margin of error, Richardson said, “I wouldn’t necessarily say that, but it does make you think about playing the game a little smarter. You can’t be careless because of the great players over there but that doesn’t really determine whether or not we’re gonna change the way we play. Just gotta manage the game and play good.”
It’s been tough-sledding at times during the start of his NFL career, but ever since he was elevated from his two-week timeout, Anthony Richardson has seemingly rebounded for the better; he has stacked his three-best performances in the NFL since being elevated in Week 11 per Pro Football Focus.
Week 11 (NYJ): 80.1
Week 12 (DET): 76.6
Week 13 (NE): 79.3
Richardson is PFF’s 8th-best graded passer (82.9) & the 10th-best graded rushing QB (71.0) since Week 11. Whether or not it’s pure coincidence remains to be seen, however, it’s clear that something clicked for Richardson during his demotion, and thus far, the Colts have benefited from it.
During media availability on Wednesday, Richardson was asked what he believes he’s most learned from his college days to his time in the NFL thus far and responded by saying, “For one, trying not to be Superman all the time. I’ve always been able to create big plays and that’s...
