INDIANAPOLIS – Anthony Richardson is coming off the best game of his still-developing career.
Video review undoubtedly reinforced the eye test after he was accurate (a career-best 66.7%), productive (a career-best 272 passing yards), decisive and calculated with his throws (zero interceptions) and the dual threat the Indianapolis Colts always envisioned (one passing touchdown, two rushing TDs, including the game-winner with 46 seconds remaining) in last Sunday’s pivotal road win at the expense of the New York Jets.
Richardson was aggressive and composed, especially as the pressure mounted. He directed two TD drives in the final 13 minutes that snapped a three-game losing streak and gave everyone renewed optimism on the heels of his two-game benching/teaching moment.
But in the NFL, all that truly matters is the next game. And the next game. And the games after that.
Remember, it’s a What have you done for me lately? business.
Linebacker Zaire Franklin described the role Richardson played in Sunday’s 28-27 win over the Jets as “special.’’
“It was a while since I felt helpless and watched a QB come and just take over the game and win the game like he did,’’ he said Wednesday. “It was definitely special.
“I’m glad he got that moment. I’m proud of him, but the journey still continues. You could put in all the work and still not play great, but putting in the work gives you a chance.’’
Coach Shane Steichen replaced Richardson with veteran Joe Flacco for two games in order to give the 22-year-old with just 10 NFL starts an opportunity to come to grips with how to better prepare for the role of leader/starting quarterback. He had to be better at focusing on the details and every aspect the weekly preparation.
Richardson responded with the best four-quarters of his career, but chasing down the Jets for his first career fourth-quarter comeback must be the start of something more.
“I think he gave himself a chance to be special on Sunday,’’ Franklin said, “and he continued to put in the work to give himself another good chance to be great on Sunday coming up.’’
That would be a meeting with the 9-1 Detroit Lions at Lucas Oil Stadium.
Whatever adjustments/improvements Richardson made in his day-to-day preparation needs to become second nature.
“You want to do it every week,’’ Steichen said. “I mean, that’s the goal, to go win every week. Put in the work every week.
“Prepare the right way so you can have success on Sundays.’’
Injuries and the benching have made it difficult for Richardson – and the offense, for that matter – to muster anything resembling consistency. He’s not completed more than 10 passes in consecutive career starts. He’s thrown for more than 200 yards in consecutive starts only once – weeks 1-2 against Houston (212 yards) and at Green Bay (204).
“The main thing is just being consistent . . . just trusting the process, trusting the system,’’ Richardson said. “Still putting the work in every day, trying to get 1 percent better every day.
“Trying not to focus on everything good I did last week (but) just trying to keep it going and just keep stacking up the days.’’
He’s not preoccupied with proving anything to his critics.
“It’s just really a desire to just keep stacking up my process and just keep trusting it and just keep putting in the work so I can get better each and every week so the result on the field can be better,’’ Richardson said.
“It’s definitely important to stack wins. But it’s not anything to show to anybody. It’s really more so just to prove it to ourselves and just show that we can win and just keep on winning.
“So, that’s our goal. Just get better each and every week and just stack the W’s up when we can.’’
Detroit’s Dan Campbell has seen marked growth from Richardson.
“What you saw was last week (Richardson) really at his best,’’ he said. “I’m not even sure you can go back to early in the year because I feel like they’ve taken the handcuffs off of him and allowed him to just go.
“There’s a lot of things to where you’ve got to be careful. That’s your guy. You run him too much, he gets hit, he gets injured. And I think now, you know, all bets are off and ‘We’ve gotta get first downs. We’ve gotta score touchdowns and you’ve got to lead us to it.’’’
Campbell mentioned the problems Richardson creates with his legs when Steichen and coordinator Jim Bob Cooter use him liberally in the run game. Richardson ran 10 times against the Jets for a modest 32 yards with a long of 5.
But he rushed for two TDs – a 2-yarder in the second quarter that gave the Colts a 10-0 lead and a 4-yarder with 46 seconds remaining that completed the comeback – and moved the chains with a 5-yard keeper on second-and-5.
On each TD run, Richardson lowered his surgically repaired right shoulder and punished a Jets DB as he reached the goal line.
They were got-to-have-it situations.
“Obviously you’ve got to be physical at the goal line to go score,’’ Steichen said, “and he did.
“Running the dude over (on the game-winner), showing his physicality down on the goal line was huge.’’
The diversity has caught Campbell’s eye. Despite missing four games, Richardson is the Colts’ second-leading rusher with 274 yards and three TDs.
“The way you run him with different schemes that they’re doing it with, they got quarterback power, they got the RPO, they got the read-run, they got the play-action off of that,’’ he said. “And then he can scramble.
“And then, if he is in the pocket and you’ve got your arms around him trying to bring him to the ground, he’ll just stiff-arm you off of him, he’ll just press you off and then throw it down the field. It’s rare.
“His strength, his ability to run and he really does have a nice deep ball. He’s an accurate passer down the field. I mean, deep. That’s what makes him dangerous. It’s all-encompassing.’’
The challenge for the Lions’ No. 13-ranked defense is compounded when Steichen blends Richardson’s skillset with those of running back Jonathan Taylor.
“You get Taylor going and all of a sudden, man, this becomes a very dangerous offense,’’ Campbell said.
But only if Richardson can build on his positive experience at MetLife Stadium. The Colts don’t need a one-hit wonder. They need consistency from their franchise quarterback.
They need a suitable encore.
“Oh yeah,’’ Michael Pittman Jr. said. “I think everything he’s doing is building him into this position that he will be able to keep that going now.’’
You can follow Mike Chappell on Twitter at @mchappell51.