INDIANAPOLIS — The Indianapolis Colts benched quarterback Anthony Richardson for veteran Joe Flacco.
Colts head coach Shane Steichen told 13News on Wednesday, Oct. 30 the team would be starting Flacco moving forward.
"Where our team is at, Joe gives us the best chance to win right now," Steichen said. “This is going to be a great learning experience for [AR]. We are not giving up on him by any means.”
American sports writer and reporter Adam Schefter said the teams met Tuesday morning and made the decision.
Richardson went 10 of 32 in the team's 23-20 loss to the Houston Texans on Oct. 27, while also going 10 of 24 in the team's 16-10 win against the Miami Dolphins the week prior.
According to Schefter, Flacco is 71 of 108, with seven touchdowns and one interception this season for the Colts.
The Colts (4-4) play the Minnesota Vikings (5-2) on Sunday Night Football Nov. 3, with the game airing on WTHR Channel 13. Kickoff is set for 8:20 p.m. ET.
The NFL decided to flex the game into the evening slot, replacing the originally scheduled game between the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Philadelphia Eagles.
Richardson, the No. 4 pick in the 2023 draft, has struggled in two games since returning from an injured right hip that he initially acknowledged reduced the torque on his throws.
The Colts drafted Richardson with the hope he would end a constantly spinning quarterback carousel that included seven different opening-day starters in seven seasons. The former Florida star finally ended that run this year, becoming the first Colts quarterback to start in consecutive openers since Andrew Luck in 2015 and 2016.
Still, Richardson's performance has created other questions. He's won just half of his 10 NFL starts in two seasons, while injuries have prevented him from finishing six of 10 games and forced him to sit out 15.
Richardson's stats are even more troubling. He's completed a league-low 44.4% of his throws this season and has gone 20 of 56 for 364 yards, one touchdown and one interception while losing two fumbles since returning from the hip injury.
