The Indianapolis Colts are heading into week five with a 2-2 record and are one game closer to catching the Houston Texans for the division. Unfortunately, though, their victory against the Pittsburgh Steelers came with a price. Towards the end of the first quarter, as the Colts were driving for a score, Anthony Richardson went down with a hip injury. This came on a 14 yard scramble in which he refused to slide. He subsequently, got hit awkwardly by DeShon Elliott and Richardson immediately grabbed his hip.
The puzzling thing about this injury is that after it was clear that Richardson hurt himself on the scramble, Shane Steichen put him back in the game, and on his first playback, scrambled on an option play and gave himself up in pain. Thus Joe Flacco would end up finishing the game and leading the team to victory. The question moving forward is not so much whether Richardson is better than Flacco. It’s not even whether Richardson gives the Colts the best chance to win. The question is whether Richardson’s playing style can be sustained in the NFL. It appears, through his first two years in the league, that Richardson’s playing style will be tough to sustain.
What Is the Impact of Anthony Richardson’s Recent Injury?
His Injury History
Anthony Richardson is no stranger to injuries in the NFL. Just last season, as a rookie, he started four games and only finished one of them. Last year, in his Week 1 matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars, he left towards the end of the game with an apparent concussion. In Week 2 against the Houston Texans, he left the game in the second quarter with a diagnosed concussion and would miss Week 3. In Week 5 against the Tennessee Titans, he left the game at the beginning of the third quarter with a season-ending shoulder injury. Needless to say, Richardson’s rookie year was riddled with injuries. This caused many to be concerned about his future and rightfully so.
Coming into year two, the hope was that Richardson could prove that he was not an injury-prone quarterback. He has so much talent and athleticism, that his ceiling is limitless for what he can do in this league. His one major hindrance to greatness, though, has been his inability to stay healthy.
The Impact of Anthony Richardson’s Injuries
There is not a lot of data around the longevity of dual-threat quarterbacks. Just on common sense, it would make sense that quarterbacks who run are more likely to get injured than quarterbacks who stay in the pocket. However since the game has changed tremendously in favor of more running quarterbacks, the data is unclear. Some of the best quarterbacks in the league are runners. The most notable quarterbacks include Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, and Jalen Hurts. All four of these top playmakers have dealt with injuries in their careers, but their injuries do not raise concern as much as it does Anthony Richardson.
A big reason as to why there is more concern with Richardson is that he has missed more games than he has played. Richardson has eight starts in his career but has only finished four games. This is where being injury-prone comes into play as the injury bug just seems to find Richardson. The league has been trying to make the game safer, especially with the CTE concerns coming to full light. The NFL is a massively brutal sport in which contact is the name of the game. Therefore injuries happen every year to almost every player. Anthony Richardson is a prime example of this and because he is so young at just 22 years old and already has so many injuries, the concerns are valid.
How the Colts Should Respond
Indications state that Anthony Richardson’s injury is not serious to where he will miss significant time. However, this does not diminish the concern surrounding his longevity in the NFL. The Miami Dolphins have a big decision to make for their franchise as their star quarterback, Tua Tagovailoa might need to call it quits after suffering his third concussion of his career back in Week 2. The Colts do not want to be in this kind of situation with Richardson. However, they believe that he is the future of this franchise. Therefore, for there to be a future, Richardson must protect himself.
All of the injuries that Richardson has sustained in the NFL have come via a scramble. Therefore, the best way for Richardson to keep himself out of harm’s way is to slide and thus negate any unnecessary shots. If he continues to try to be a home-run hitter and fight for an extra yard, he could put himself in more harm down the road. if more injuries pile up for Richardson, the Colts might need to plan for the future without him. They brought in veteran Joe Flacco as a reliable backup for situations like what happened on Sunday. However, he is not the answer long-term.
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