The Colts drafted Anthony Richardson in the first round with the hope that he’d make plays with his arm that help the team win games.
On Sunday, Richardson had to do other things to get the Colts their first win of the season. Richardson handed the ball to running back Trey Sermon just outside the end zone in the third quarter and then switched to a role usually filled by the team’s offensive linemen.
Richardson got behind Sermon and helped push the running back over the goal line for a touchdown that extended the team’s lead to 14-3. Running back Jonathan Taylor called it special to “have a quarterback who will get his nose in there when it’s time” while Richardson said he was just compensating on a day when he threw a pair of interceptions and completed just 10 of his 20 pass attempts.
“You’ve got to find a way to do something to help the team if you’re not going to pass the ball correctly,” Richardson said, via the team’s website. “I was just trying to find a way just to help the squad.”
Getting the win is crucial, but the Colts are going to need more than tush pushing from Richardson in order to keep them coming. He’s now thrown six interceptions on the season and he’s yet to complete more than half his passes in a game this season. That needs to be corrected if Richardson is going to fulfill the expectations that the Colts had for him in the first round in 2023.