Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson was knocked out of today’s game with a hip injury. And that’s why the Colts signed Joe Flacco.
Flacco took the field and played very well against a good Steelers defense, completing 16 of 26 passes for 168 yards, with two touchdowns and no interceptions, as the Colts beat the Steelers 27-24.
Richardson had been playing well before he went down, completing three of his four passes for 71 yards and also running three times for 24 yards. But the story of the game was Flacco, who showed today the same thing he showed last season with the Browns: He’s still more than capable of winning games in the NFL.
Steelers quarterback Justin Fields played well, completing 22 of 34 passes for 312 yards with a touchdown and no interceptions, and also running 10 times for 55 yards and two touchdowns. But his attempt to bring the Steelers back in the fourth quarter fell short with a late incompletion on fourth down. Fields has done enough to earn the starting job even if Russell Wilson gets healthy, but today Fields suffered his first loss as a Steeler.
At 3-1, the Steelers are still a good team and in good shape in the AFC, but the Colts have now improved to 2-2 and are looking like a team that can make some noise in the AFC as well — whether Richardson or Flacco is at quarterback.
