Colts bench QB Anthony Richardson, will start Joe Flacco in Week 9

by James Boyd, Dianna Russini and Amos Morale III

The Indianapolis Colts are making a change at quarterback and will start Joe Flacco in Week 9 against the Minnesota Vikings.

Coach Shane Steichen was noncommittal Monday when asked whether or not Anthony Richardson would remain his team’s starting QB this week.

Asked more specifically if Richardson is the Colts’ QB1 “right now,” Steichen replied, “Today, he is, yes,” but he would not say if that would be the case moving forward.

Steichen’s comments came after Indianapolis lost 23-20 to the Houston Texans on Sunday, a game in which Richardson subbed himself out while the Colts were trailing during the third quarter for being “tired.”

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Richardson tapped his helmet and headed to the sideline after being tackled at the knees and falling awkwardly on a 2nd-and-goal. Flacco — who started two games this season — entered and finished the drive.

On Monday Steichen said that Richardson subbing himself out was not a factor in his decision to re-evaluate the team’s quarterback situation.

“I think, obviously, there’s a whole bunch of different things, right? There really is,” Steichen said. “It’s not just one guy, right? It’s everything. We’ve gotta just look at the whole big picture and look at our football team, look at our roster, look at our personnel, look at our scheme and then we go from there.”

Richardson, the No. 4 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, has completed just 44.4 percent of his passes and thrown for 958 yards, four touchdowns and seven interceptions in his six starts this season. The second-year play caller has also rushed for 242 yards and a touchdown on the ground. He has led Indianapolis to a 3-3 record as a starter this year.

Flacco is 1-1 in his two starts but helped the Colts earn a victory in Week 4 against the Steelers after coming on in relief of Richardson.