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Stephen Holder, ESPNSep 29, 2024, 02:14 PM ET
- Stephen joined ESPN in 2022, covering the Indianapolis Colts and NFL at large. Stephen finished first place in column writing in the 2015 Indiana Associated Press Media Editors competition, and he is a previous top-10 winner in explanatory journalism in the Associated Press Sports Editors national contest. He has chronicled the NFL since 2005, covering the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 2005-2013 and the Colts since 2013. He has previously worked for the Miami Herald, Tampa Bay Times, Indianapolis Star and The Athletic.
INDIANAPOLIS — Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson had already made one ill-fated attempt to return to action after injuring his right hip in Sunday’s game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
When he expressed his desire to give it another go after being treated briefly in the locker room early in the second quarter, Colts coach Shane Steichen decided otherwise.
Richardson’s sore right hip, which he sustained on a hit on a 14-yard, first-quarter run, kept him out for two plays and then, upon his return, after another run, for the remainder of the game. Richardson, the second-year Colts starter, gave way to 17-year veteran Joe Flacco, who helped finish off the Steelers 27-24, handing Pittsburgh its first loss of the season.
Richardson indicated after the game that his injury was not serious.
“Feeling a little sore,” he said. “But great execution [by] everybody on the field. I think I’m going to be good. Just a little sore.”
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The soreness following the hit from safety DeShon Elliott limited his mobility, Richardson said.
“My hip was hurting,” he said. “I tried to go back out there, but I just couldn’t accelerate how I wanted to. So, [Steichen] was like trying not to mess up the team right now, so I was like, ‘I’ll just sit.'”
He added, “I was looking forward to going back out there with my squad. I wanted to contribute to the W. I think I did a little bit, but I wanted to be out there the whole time. But shoutout to my guys for getting the W today.”
Richardson got off to a sizzling start, engineering a game-opening drive that went 70 yards and was capped by Jonathan Taylor‘s 2-yard touchdown run. It was the first opening-drive touchdown against the Steelers’ defense since Week 14 of last season. Richardson was 3-of-4 passing before his injury, including a 32-yard strike to Michael Pittman Jr.
“He was on fire,” Steichen said.
But Richardson didn’t take issue with Steichen’s suggestion that he sit out after his injury. “They really just asked me how I felt to throw and stuff like that, but we both [agreed] it wasn’t best for me to go back out there,” Richardson said.
Richardson’s latest injury will likely intensify the conversation around his durability. Going back to last season, he now has missed significant portions of three of the eight career games he has started. That includes the Week 5 game last season when he sustained a sprained AC joint in his right (throwing) shoulder that required surgery and ended his season.
Anticipating those criticisms, Richardson addressed them Sunday.
“People are going to talk about injuries, people are going to say injury-prone, blah, blah, blah,” he said. “But nobody wants to get injured. Everybody wants to stay on the field. Of course, I was like, ‘Man, damn, not again.’ But it’s all good. It’s God’s plan and I’m trusting it.”
Meanwhile, the Colts turned to Flacco and watched him thrive against the Steelers — again. The longtime Baltimore Ravens starter and Pittsburgh nemesis completed 16 of 26 passes for 168 yard and two touchdowns.
It was a moment Flacco embraced, his first extended playing time since his late-season run in Cleveland last season that ended with a playoff appearance. The difference here, however, was coming off the bench without warning.
“It definitely took a little bit of time for me to kind of just settle down,” he said. “I kept telling myself, just do the simple things. And it’s definitely a different experience when you come in like that.”
Of note in Flacco’s performance was a drive in the late third quarter and early fourth quarter on which he was 3-of-3 for 52 yards on third downs.
“When you’re me, when you kind of come in and you get thrown into those situations, you just trust your guys to do the right thing and see what happens in the end,” he said.
Taylor left the game late in the fourth quarter with an ankle injury and did not return. But he indicated the issue was not serious.
“I’m feeling pretty good,” he said. “We came out with the win, so I’m excited to attack this week.”
