Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson revealed Wednesday that he’s been dealing with a lower back issue that “might be chronic.”

The second-year pro was ruled out for last week’s game against the New York Giants due to back and foot injuries, though it’s his back that’s the main problem. Richardson recently underwent an MRI that he said revealed a “disc thing,” and his status for the Colts’ regular-season finale against the Jaguars remains in question.

Colts coach Shane Steichen initially said last week that Richardson was “really sore” before adding after the Giants loss that Richardson was dealing with back spasms. Richardson provided even more detail Wednesday, when he was an estimated “DNP” on the injury report on a day where the Colts didn’t officially practice but held a walkthrough.

“Last week was tough. I couldn’t even stand up on Tuesday, could barely even walk, crawling around the house,” Richardson said. “But I’m here. I’m standing now. If I can do everything in my power to get on the field, I’mma do so. That was my mindset last week as well, but I could barely move.”

Asked if he’s ever dealt with back spasms before, Richardson said “he’s been dealing with stuff like this since eighth grade, but it’s never been this severe.” Richardson said his back issues stem from a “disc thing” that he’s had for a while and it got “triggered” last week.

Richardson said he thought his back pain stemmed from frequently working out and running around, but now that he’s been made aware it’s a disc problem, he’s hopeful that he’ll be able to treat and manage it.

“It might be chronic, but there’s plenty of ways to prevent it (from) going on in the future,” Richardson said. “Now that I know what it is, I can find certain ways to stay out of certain positions and just make sure I’m healthy, 100 percent.”

Richardson added that he doesn’t believe he’ll need surgery.

“They say it’s not that severe,” Richardson said. “But God willing, I hope it never gets that severe or to that point. I just hope I can just keep playing throughout the rest of my career with no problems.”

Richardson is arguably the most athletic QB in NFL Scouting Combine history, which is a big reason the Colts selected him with the No. 4 pick in 2023 despite just 13 starts at Florida. However, Richardson has missed three games this season and 16 games through his first two NFL seasons due to shoulder, back and oblique injuries, as well as a concussion.

The 22-year-old was also benched for two games this season because he wasn’t focused enough during his preparation, according to Steichen. Richardson has gone 3-2 as the starter since returning to the starting lineup, and he’s 6-5 this season. He’s thrown eight touchdowns against 12 interceptions, and his 47.7 completion percentage ranks last in the NFL. Richardson has also scored six rushing touchdowns.

Richardson said he’s aware of the critics, many of whom have labeled him injury-prone, and that they have a right to their opinion since he’s missed a significant amount of games. He added that all he can do is work hard and try his best to be available in the future.

“Hopefully, next year — or this week coming up if I’m able to go – hopefully, I don’t miss any games and I can just stay healthy and just play,” Richardson said.

Required reading

(Photo: Luke Hales / Getty Images)

Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels, Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold and Las Vegas Raiders tight end Brock Bowers headline the list of first timers for the 2025 Pro Bowl Games, which the league announced Thursday.

The Baltimore Ravens lead all teams with nine Pro Bowl selections, while the Detroit Lions (seven players), Minnesota Vikings (six), Philadelphia Eagles (six), Dallas Cowboys (five) and Kansas City Chiefs (five) each placing at least five players on the roster.

The four teams without anyone making the Pro Bowl’s initial roster are the New York Jets, Miami Dolphins, New Orleans Saints and Tennessee Titans.

While he hasn’t participated in the Pro Bowl since 2021, as the Chiefs have won the last two Super Bowls, Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes wasn’t selected for the first time in his seven years as a starter.

This year’s Pro Bowl Games will be held in Orlando, Fla., with the skills challenges occurring over two days at separate locations. The first part of the skills competition will happen in the Nicholson Fieldhouse on UCF’s campus on Jan. 30 and air at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN. The second part of the event, including the flag football game, will be at Camping World Stadium on Feb. 2. It will air on ESPN and ABC at 3 p.m. ET.

The NFL added a trivia element to this year’s skills competitions, which include traditional games of dodgeball and tug-of-war. “Passing the test” will have each quarterback answer five trivia questions about other Pro Bowlers from the 2024 season. Correct answers will give passers more time to attempt to hit targets.

Peyton and Eli Manning will coach the AFC and NFC teams again. The NFC defeated the AFC for the second straight year of the Pro Bowl Games in 2024.

Here’s a look at each conference’s initial rosters:

AFC

Offense

*Starter

Quarterback

• Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills*
• Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals
• Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens

Running back

• Derrick Henry, Baltimore Ravens*
• Joe Mixon, Houston Texans
• Jonathan Taylor, Indianapolis Colts

Fullback

• Patrick Ricard, Baltimore Ravens*

Wide receiver

• Ja’Marr Chase, Cincinnati Bengals*
• Jerry Jeudy, Cleveland Browns*
• Nico Collins, Houston Texans
• Zay Flowers, Baltimore Ravens

Tight end

• Brock Bowers, Las Vegas Raiders*
• Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs

Offensive tackle

• Dion Dawkins, Buffalo Bills*
• Laremy Tunsil, Houston Texans*
• Rashawn Slater, Los Angeles Chargers

Offensive guard

• Quenton Nelson, Indianapolis Colts*
• Joe Thuney, Kansas City Chiefs*
• Trey Smith, Kansas City Chiefs

Center

• Creed Humphrey, Kansas City Chiefs*
• Tyler Linderbaum, Baltimore Ravens

Defense

Defensive end

• Myles Garrett, Cleveland Browns*
• Trey Hendrickson, Cincinnati Bengals*
• Maxx Crosby, Las Vegas Raiders

Interior linemen

• Cameron Heyward, Pittsburgh Steelers*
• Chris Jones, Kansas City Chiefs*
• Nnamdi Madubuike, Baltimore Ravens

Outside linebacker

• Nik Bonitto, Denver Broncos*
• T.J. Watt, Pittsburgh Steelers*
• Khalil Mack, Los Angeles Chargers

Inside/middle linebacker

• Roquan Smith, Baltimore Ravens*
• Zaire Franklin, Indianapolis Colts

Cornerback

• Derek Stingley Jr., Houston Texans*
• Patrick Surtain II, Denver Broncos*
• Marlon Humphrey, Baltimore Ravens
• Denzel Ward, Cleveland Browns

Free safety

• Minkah Fitzpatrick, Pittsburgh Steelers*

Strong safety

• Kyle Hamilton, Baltimore Ravens*
• Derwin James, Los Angeles Chargers

Special teams

Long snapper

• Ross Matiscik, Jacksonville Jaguars*

Punter

• Logan Cooke, Jacksonville Jaguars*

Kicker

• Chris Boswell, Pittsburgh Steelers*

Return specialist

• Marvin Mims Jr., Denver Broncos*

Special teamer

• Brenden Schooler, New England Patriots*

NFC

Offense

Quarterback

• Jared Goff, Detroit Lions*
• Jayden Daniels, Washington Commanders
• Sam Darnold, Minnesota Vikings

Running back

• Saquon Barkley, Philadelphia Eagles*
• Jahmyr Gibbs, Detroit Lions
• Josh Jacobs, Green Bay Packers

Fullback

• Kyle Juszczyk, San Francisco 49ers

Wide receiver

• Justin Jefferson, Minnesota Vikings*
• Amon-Ra St. Brown, Detroit Lions*
• CeeDee Lamb, Dallas Cowboys
• Terry McLaurin, Washington Commanders

Tight end

• George Kittle, San Francisco 49ers*
• Trey McBride, Arizona Cardinals

Offensive tackle

• Lane Johnson, Philadelphia Eagles*
• Penei Sewell, Detroit Lions*
• Tristan Wirfs, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Offensive guard

• Landon Dickerson, Philadelphia Eagles*
• Tyler Smith, Dallas Cowboys*
• Chris Lindstrom, Atlanta Falcons

Center

• Frank Ragnow, Detroit Lions*
• Cam Jurgens, Philadelphia Eagles

Defense

Defensive end

• Nick Bosa, San Francisco 49ers*
• Micah Parsons, Dallas Cowboys*
• Rashan Gary, Green Bay Packers

Interior linemen

• Jalen Carter, Philadelphia Eagles*
• Dexter Lawrence, New York Giants*
• Vita Vea, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Outside linebacker

• Jonathan Greenard, Minnesota Vikings*
• Andrew Van Ginkel, Minnesota Vikings*
• Jared Verse, Los Angeles Rams

Inside/middle linebacker

• Fred Warner, San Francisco 49ers*
• Zack Baun, Philadelphia Eagles

Cornerback

• Jaylon Johnson, Chicago Bears*
• Byron Murphy, Minnesota Vikings*
• Jaycee Horn, Carolina Panthers
• Devon Witherspoon, Seattle Seahawks

Free safety

• Xavier McKinney, Green Bay Packers*

Strong safety

• Budda Baker, Arizona Cardinals*
• Brian Branch, Detroit Lions

Special teams

Long snapper

• Andrew DePaola, Minnesota Vikings*

Punter

Kicker

• Brandon Aubrey, Dallas Cowboys*

Return specialist

• KaVontae Turpin, Dallas Cowboys*

Special teamer

• KhaDarel Hodge, Atlanta Falcons*

Required reading

(Photo of Jayden Daniels: Lee Coleman / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Steter Tropfen höhlt den Stein. The German proverb, roughly translated into English, means: Steady dripping caves the stone. It appears in other languages and literary forms, but this iteration stuck with Xander Schauffele as a boy.

It’s the one Schauffele’s father, Stefan, reiterated until it seeped into his vocabulary. From the onset of Schauffele’s relationship with golf, motivational allegories and philosophical adages were fed into his psyche. That’s how his father thinks and speaks. It became how the son thinks and speaks, how Schauffele constructed the mind and game that won two major championships in one summer.

Schauffele’s rise was slow and incremental, steadied by the omnipresent hand of his father, who doubled as his swing coach from pre-junior golf to the PGA Tour.

The nature of Schauffele’s climb was exactly what critics pointed to as the potential downfall of his career. If you were taught to lurk, could you win? If you were bred to embrace being an underdog, would it sting always being in the top 10 but never lifting the trophy?

Schauffele didn’t want to say it then, but he’ll admit it now. Those questions reverberated in his mind as the close calls stacked up, as the PGA Tour wins came but he became a supporting actor in the majors: Always on the leaderboard, never on top of it.

Then he did it. Twice. In 2024, Schauffele shut down a festering, years-long narrative: He won the PGA and Open Championships, and suddenly went from being the best-not-to-win one to a player two trophies away from a career grand slam.

It was always in his subconscious, but he had to remember. There was supposed to be a process — a steady drip. The question was whether he would persist, and whether he’d believe.

“Maybe there was more self-belief this year than ever. And maybe it took me time to get to that point,” Schauffele says. “Everyone’s supposed to believe in themselves, everyone’s supposed to imagine themselves winning. I think until you truly do that and it’s actually a genuine thing, you won’t really see it through. You can say those words, but for me, I was actually feeling ready to win.”

This counts as revelatory for Schauffele, an admission of something other than resolute strength for a 31-year-old who walks the course with a confident swagger. Unwavering consistency was always what Schauffele intended to be his ticket to the top, and it showed in the progression of his game. If you judge it by advanced statistics, he was already the most consistent player in golf. But in 2024 he made bogey or worse on only 9.4 percent of his holes — setting a new PGA Tour record, eclipsing Tiger Woods’ all-time 2000 season.

“I grew this year, but for the most part I’ve been sort of preparing myself my entire life for those moments,” Schauffele says.

Stefan could see what was coming before Schauffele. A year ago, celebrating Christmas in San Diego, the father/coach sat down with the son/protege for a one-on-one conversation. End-of-year transitions always feel pivotal to Stefan. Time to take accountability. To craft purpose.

He looked at Schauffele, days before the pair would travel to Hawaii for the 2024 opening tournament, and came forward with a proclamation: “The team is ready for you to win a major.”

Then he stepped away, becoming just dad.

For this next stage of life, Stefan decided to move as far away as possible from his younger son, which is why he finds himself pausing mid-sentence at the sight of a pod of whales breaching in the Pacific Ocean.

Standing on a plot of farmland in Kauai, Hawaii, Stefan is working on building a family compound. The “Ogre,” as he’s known on the PGA Tour, always sporting a fedora, black shades and a linen polo, timed his expedition intentionally.

For a year and a half, Stefan lived in a 20-foot shipping container with no electricity, hot water or bathroom, away from his wife and Xander’s mother, Ping-Yi, for months at a time. He recently moved onto a second piece of property that includes a real house, so she can visit more often, and a warehouse, so tradesmen can come in and out from Hawaii’s mainland to assist the project.

Stefan is preparing the land to grow tuberous roots, like taro, araimo and satoimo. He’ll plant avocado trees for an oil supply. Everything will be ready for the Schauffeles in two to three years, perfect timing for their grandchildren to play with the animals. Yes, there will be livestock — Shetland ponies and miniature highland cows. Xander and his older brother, Nico, aren’t allowed to see it until it’s done.

There’s a vision. There’s a process. It began with the decision to step away from being Xander’s coach, a departure he wished had happened sooner. He knew the time would come, when he could no longer serve his son’s needs in his expertise. The question of how to make the transition was harder.

Which is why as Xander lifted his first major championship trophy, Stefan was closer to Tokyo than Louisville, Ky., resigned to watch the moment on television from one of Hawaii’s farthest outlying islands.

“I cannot explain to you how close (Xander and I) are,” he says. “It is stupid. I had to literally do what I’m doing right now in order to create separation.”

An accomplished decathlete in his prime, Stefan cultivated his son’s competitive drive the only way he knew. “He basically treated me as a young pro from a really young age,” Xander says.

The father viewed golf as a multidisciplinary game, just like his 10-event sport. Stefan took so much pride in his will to win, he used unusual tactics in an effort to bring it out of his son — ones he knew shouldn’t be implemented in most parent-child relationships.

“I had to find ways for Xander to openly oppose me and fight with me, not physically, but oppose me strongly. I worked hard on that, sometimes with unfair methods: I would cheat in ping pong until he got so upset that he started standing up to me at a pretty young age,” Stefan says.

A bond of mutual respect led to persistence becoming part of Xander’s nature. That was the precursor to the father and son’s on-course relationship and to Xander’s trek to the top.

As a boy, Stefan asked his son if he wanted to be like Fred Couples or Tiger Woods. Play the game by feel or study its intricacies? Xander chose the latter. He wanted to know everything about the mechanics of his swing. Stefan would explain the concepts to him, but he had to prove the basis of his knowledge with evidence. Xander acted with the kind of stubbornness that Stefan felt was necessary. In turn, Xander listened to his father’s philosophies about demeanor and body language. It all connected back to a central principle.

If you are playing alone — Stefan would ask his son — on a golf course in the middle of a forest, and you miss a three-foot putt, are you going to throw a tantrum? “The answer is no. When you do it on TV, it’s all fake. It’s all an act. We cut out all of the acting and the fakeness,” Schauffele said.

“Golf is a long career,” he continued. “You can almost guarantee that anybody that is pretentious will eventually suffer some kind of defeat by his own ego.”

Xander Schauffele’s PGA Championship win made even the stoic Schauffele smile. (Ross Kinnaird / Getty Images)

The same themes were hammered into Xander’s mind through college golf, the Web.com Tour and the PGA Tour.

At the qualifier for the 2017 U.S. Open, a PGA Tour rookie Schauffele was paired with Steve Stricker, the latter vying for a spot in the national championship in his home state, Wisconsin’s Erin Hills. He watched as the 50-year-old put together a string of birdies in the latter half of the 36-hole day, turning a slow start into a highlight reel. It was the perfect microcosm of the old German proverb. Stefan’s lurk-in-the-shadows strategy had come to life. Schauffele was just finally seeing it for himself.

Schauffele qualified for that U.S. Open too, resulting in a tie for fifth place in his first major start. Three weeks later, he won his first PGA Tour event.

“Stricker didn’t panic when things weren’t going his way. He stayed the course, and all of sudden rattled off eight or nine birdies and he was leading the tournament. Where did that come from? For me, my career doesn’t feel too dissimilar from that sort of mentality,” Schauffele says.

Schauffele was never “the guy.” He’s one of 16 players to win The Open and another major in one year, and he still isn’t. When his peers were asked to name the PGA Tour Player of the Year, 91 percent said Scottie Scheffler.

A phenomenal year by anyone’s standards has somehow still left him steeped in a shadow, cast by the potentially generational talent, Scheffler.

But Schauffele’s game wasn’t designed for him to be “the guy.” Persistence means evolution. And evolution isn’t always flashy.

When Schauffele seemed to be stuck as the player always hanging around the top five on a leaderboard, he could have stopped there. Instead, he continued to push, as he has always been taught to do.

Sometimes that push — the art of never being satisfied — requires tough decisions. At the end of 2023, the Schauffeles hired Chris Como, a leading professional golf instructor, to the inner circle that from the outside looked like it could never be cracked. A personal trainer, David Sundberg, and a physiotherapist, Marnus Marais, came on board too. Stefan backed away. He retreated, literally, into the jungle.

In 2024, Schauffele’s new team and improved process helped him gain 10 yards off the tee, meaning shorter iron shots, more birdies, and in turn, the big wins. But really, Schauffele could keep things rolling until that epiphany. That’s what got him there.

“When you’re so close, it’s such a finite thing. You’re trying to improve by a quarter of a shot in a certain part of your game,” Schauffele says. “It doesn’t seem like much on paper, but it could do the world of difference over the course of a year.”

Schauffele’s missing self-belief was found in his process.

“I think mentally, dealing with everything that led up to this year — failing and failing and having everyone say you’re potentially one of the best to have never won a major, at least in this modern era, all those things finally were just kind of put to rest,” Schauffele says.

Now he’s entering new territory. The Schauffeles evaluate progress with a year-over-year eye. Since first emerging on tour in 2017, Schauffele has rarely regressed in the official world golf rankings. He’s essentially maintained or improved his position, steadily. But now he’s No. 2.

Heading into The Sentry, the opening event of the 2025 PGA Tour season at Kapalua, Hawaii, this week as the second-best player in the world, Schauffele has an opportunity. Eighty-four weeks into a world No. 1 streak that has put Scheffler on a seemingly unreachable peak, he is out with an injured hand. Stefan will be lingering close to his son in Hawaii, taking a break from his Kauai camp to temporarily fill in as Schauffele’s manager. But as intended, the relationship is different. Schauffele is playing the best golf of his life. He’s in control.

“It’s crazy. I’m super fired up to go practice. I’m super fired up to go see my trainer. I’m super fired up to get to Hawaii,” Schauffele says. “I think it’s my eighth or ninth year on tour. And I’m still feeling that way.”

If there was ever a time to carry on, it’s now. Schauffele is ready for it. He is ready to keep caving the stone.

(Illustration: Dan Goldfarb / The Athletic; Photos: Ben Jared / PGA Tour, Tom Shaw / R&A via Getty Images)