By admin 
Indianapolis foals‘quarterback Anthony Richardson has had a bumpy second season, to say the least. Amid the early season struggles and recent benching, Richardson was able to put together his strongest performance as a pro in Sunday’s win over the New York Jets.
Richardson was absolutely trading on Sunday, reaching new career highs in completion percentage and passing yards against a formidable Jets secondary. He was quick and decisive with his throws all game and his accuracy was a big plus in this game (despite being his biggest weakness of his career so far).
To top it all off, the advanced stats also loved Richardson’s performance this week. He ranked in the top ten in key metrics such as EPA/play, completion percentage above expected and success rate among all starting quarterbacks in Week 11. His game against the Jets was exactly what the Colts and Colts had been waiting for from the young signal caller whole season.
Set the stage early
Richardson’s first pass back after being benched in two games was one of his best of the season so far. Facing a third-and-medium, the Jets muddied the water a bit before stacking the box. The Jets eventually get into coverage with one look out, but Richardson has the coverage all pinned down.
Richardson does a fantastic job of keeping the safety to the middle of the field with his eyes and then delivers a beautiful 31-yard pass outside the numbers Josh Downs for a huge conversion. This throw is made even more impressive by the fact that he couldn’t get in due to the early pressure in his face to center.
Anthony Richardson’s first pitch in weeks:
Jets blur the pre-snap photo, then jump into single-high post-snap. Richardson looks out of deep safety, hangs in the pocket under pressure and delivers a 31-yard pass to Josh Downs on the corner route pic.twitter.com/EzM0iMxjpV
— Zach Hicks (@ZachHicks2) November 18, 2024
Shredding the center of the field
Richardson was just shredding the midgame against the Jets all day. The Jets’ defensive system is very similar to the Colts’, so he’s basically practiced against this type of scheme his entire career thus far (and it definitely looked like that on Sunday).
He finished the day completing 9 of 11 passes between 10 and 30 air yards on the day and looked really good. The most promising aspect of these throws is the placement and balance with each throw. He looks over the middle at defenders, creates throwing windows and confidently steps into the passes he needs to hit.
Richardson looked calm, cool and collected for the first time in his career last Sunday, especially when throwing across the middle of the field.
Anthony Richardson is at his best when he can just hit his back foot and rip a fastball over the middle. Very nice work in the middle in this last game.
Like what I also see with his eyes/shoulder movements to create some of these windows pic.twitter.com/t6hpKLP0ac
— Zach Hicks (@ZachHicks2) November 18, 2024
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The Splash was still there
Richardson was much better at the procedural aspect of his job on Sunday, but he continued to make those splashy plays that also make him special. Arguably his biggest non-comeback play of the game came when the Colts trailed by a point in the third quarter. He made a few big third-down conversions on this drive to steal away three points, but this particular throw was truly unique.
With a defender draped over him, Richardson somehow still managed to get the ball on the out route to Downs for a crucial third down conversion. There are few players in the league who can take this pass to the flat with a defender standing over him, and Richardson demonstrated his truly special skill with this one throw.
The Colts would get a field goal on this drive, which proved to be huge in the team’s one-point win on Sunday.
One of the most impactful plays for the Colts last Sunday. The Colts were able to steal three points on this drive thanks to this superhuman play by Richardson (and Downs) on third down pic.twitter.com/p1eeSy2B91
— Zach Hicks (@ZachHicks2) November 18, 2024
Relying on big play Alec Pierce
The highlight of the day for Richardson was a deep hole on Alec Pierce with the game hanging in the balance late. Pierce informed Richardson of the Jets’ trap coverage at his side prior to the drive, and Richardson relied on his vertical threat when the play mattered most.
The Jets were eyeing this play with their hand to jump the potential route to Downs in the slot. Richardson gets All-Pro cornerback Sauce Gardner committed early with a quick pump fake and then rips a holeshot to Pierce on a rope 39 yards downfield for a huge gain.
This throw is truly special and is a big reason why the Colts won on Sunday. Stacking highlight reels in this way with efficiency in the interplay is ultimately what led to Richardson’s career day as a passer.
I think one way to beat the Palms coverage on the outside is to rip a pump and shoot 39 yards down the field. pic.twitter.com/zFlWjVjW09
— Zach Hicks (@ZachHicks2) November 18, 2024
The bottom line
Richardson delivered the kind of performance the Colts were waiting for last Sunday. He was clean and efficient as a passer and he added a dangerous rushing element in the red zone that put the offense over the top. He was rightly fantastic on Sunday.
The next step for the young player is to pile up good performances. Any quarterback can deliver a game-changing performance, the key is what comes next. If he can continue to play even close to this level this season, Colts fans can be optimistic heading into 2025.
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