The Indianapolis Colts have lost and struggled on offense for the second straight week without Anthony Richardson as the starting quarterback. This is ironic because Richardson was benched in favor of Joe Flacco because the offense was struggling. To put things in perspective, the last two games with Flacco as the starter have been abysmal. In that span, they have averaged 294 yards of total offense each game. They have surrendered six total turnovers and eight total sacks. Needless to say, Flacco has not fixed the struggles on this Colts offense.
When asked why he chose to start Flacco over Richardson, head coach Shane Steichen stated that Flacco “gives us the best chance to win”. Ironically, Richardson has a better win-loss record through 10 weeks than Flacco does. Richardson is 3-3 as a starter, while Flacco is 1-3. After Sunday’s game, Steichen mentioned that Flacco would be the starter in week 11 against the New York Jets. This is subject to change, and change might be in order. This change does not necessarily need to come at quarterback. Change could come with playcalling or schemes. Regardless, the Colts offense is in a bad place right now, and they need a spark or something to get them back on track. There are two main reasons why the Colts offense is struggling, but they are not going to be easy to fix.
The Reasons Why the Colts Offense is Struggling
Inefficiency At Quarterback
This is the most glaring reason why the offense has struggled. Even with Anthony Richardson as the starter, the offense struggled with consistency. Richardson was missing wide-open receivers, throwing careless interceptions, and struggling to sustain drives. Under Joe Flacco, the accuracy is much better, but he has thrown careless interceptions and has stalled drives.
During his postgame press conference, Steichen was asked why he is sticking with Flacco. Steichen stated, “Obviously, just a guy that’s a veteran.” While veteran presence and leadership are important in the NFL, it is not always the determining factor for wins. Right now, the Colts are proof that is not always the case. Anthony Richardson has 10 total starts in the NFL and has five wins. This is not to say that Richardson is better than Flacco. It just highlights the fact that there is inefficiency by both quarterbacks in different ways. In hindsight, maybe the Colts should not have benched Richardson. However, going back to Richardson could provide a much-needed spark while also developing the future of their franchise.
Lack of Experience
The Colts are one of the youngest teams in the NFL and therefore, they will have moments of inexperience. Throughout this season, that has been the theme. First and foremost, Anthony Richardson is only 22 years old and showcased many mistakes throughout his first few starts. On top of Richardson, the Colts are also young on the offensive line and with their receivers. Michael Pittman Jr. is their most experienced receiver, and he is only in his fifth year. Their most experienced tight end is Mo Alie-Cox and he only has 109 career receptions. Both rookie tackles have been starting at offensive line, and their inexperience has shown.
Jonathan Taylor is their most decorated playmaker on offense, but he has dealt with injuries and has been under-utilized in some games. Due to the lack of experience, it makes sense that the Colts are sticking with Flacco. However, his veteran leadership has not been translating into wins.
The Colts are in a tough spot right now, as a lot of their demise is almost unexplainable. The Colts are inexperienced, so the wise thing to do would be to go with a veteran at quarterback. Unfortunately, their veteran quarterback is struggling with consistency. They could very easily go back to Anthony Richardson, but what would that do to continuity within the offense?
Main Image: Marc Lebryk – USA Today Sports
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