Colts QB Anthony Richardson plays into 2nd quarter, has plenty of ups and downs

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson hasn’t played a lot of high-level football. He was drafted fourth overall in the 2023 NFL Draft despite just 13 career starts in college. Last season he started only four games before suffering a season-ending shoulder injury.

The preseason isn’t for everyone, especially starting quarterbacks, but some extra reps aren’t bad for Richardson.

The Colts know about Richardson’s upside but can’t really know for sure what they have yet. In Thursday night’s preseason finale against the Cincinnati Bengals, Richardson played well into the second quarter on a night in which three of the other four teams in action sat all their starters. Richardson was finally pulled with 6:07 left in the second quarter.

There were some good things about his night, but also reminders that Richardson is still plenty raw.

Anthony Richardson starts hot

The night started well for Richardson. On Indianapolis’ first drive Richardson completed 7-of-8 passes for 65 yards and finished with with a touchdown to rookie receiver Adonai Mitchell.

Richardson showed good velocity on his passes and looked sharp on that drive. The Colts didn’t want to end the night on that note, choosing to get Richardson some extra plays.

Then there were some mistakes.

The biggest error came on a pick-6. Bengals safety Jordan Battle, a 2023 third-round pick, read Richardson perfectly and jumped in front of his short pass. Battle picked it off and strolled into the end zone for a 13-yard interception return for a touchdown.

That’s a teaching moment for an inexperienced quarterback. At least it didn’t count .

Richardson has an uneven night

Richardson almost had another turnover in the second quarter when he didn’t feel the rush behind him and was stripped. The Colts recovered that fumble.

Richardson had a fast start and a rough finish. He completed 8-of-14 passes for 86 yards but almost all of the positives came on the first drive. The Colts’ next four drives finished with an interception and three punts.

Maybe the Colts should have called it a night for Richardson after that touchdown drive.

The Colts did get some more information on Richardson and even if some of it was negative, they can use it before the regular season to get better.

Richardson’s potential is tantalizing, especially after he played very well in limited time last season. Until he can stay healthy for a full season we won’t know exactly how good he is as an NFL quarterback. Thursday showed some good things, but there are a few things to fix too.