Colts’ Anthony Richardson Ready to Take on Lions Challenge

Anthony Richardson’s return as the starting quarterback of the Indianapolis Colts played out like a movie last Sunday afternoon.

After being benched two weeks prior, putting his future with the team that drafted him No.4 overall in jeopardy, Richardson was reinserted into the starting lineup and produced the best game of his career. The young quarterback finished the game with over 300 total yards and three touchdowns to will the Colts to a 28-27 victory over the New York Jets.

It has been widely documented that the Colts benched Richardson due to a lack of preparation and attention to detail. Shane Steichen and the Colts coaching staff expected more out of Richardson and believed he needed to develop as a pro before seeing the field again.

Richardson took the message to heart and went to work, making great strides in a short amount of time to show he could go the extra mile and make the sacrifices necessary to be the leader of this team. The preparation and new approach during the week paid dividends, as evident by his performance on Sunday.

As the Colts prepare to take on the 9-1 Detroit Lions at Lucas Oil Stadium, Richardson is building on his preparation habits from last week and hoping to produce similar results.

“The main thing is just being consistent,” Richardson said when asked what he is focusing on this week. “Just trusting my guys each and every play, trusting the play call each and every play, and then just trusting the preparation – just putting in the work throughout the week and just letting it show out on the field on Sundays.”

Richardson revealed after the game that it was the most relaxed he has ever felt on the field. He was able to succeed both on the ground and through the air. Richardson was not pressing; instead, he trusted his preparation and made decisive reads, allowing him to deliver the football accurately to his receivers.

It is no coincidence the best game of Richardson’s young career came after a more detailed approach to his preparation was implemented. When asked what was different in his preparation, Richardson pointed to one thing in particular.

“I’d probably say my focus,” Richardson admitted. “I was trying to focus on all the little things a little bit more, just be consistent throughout it. That was really the main thing I was focused on, just trying to make sure I was detailing up the small things and just being consistent.”

For all of the good Richardson did last week, the quarterback is not a finished product. He still has plenty of things to clean up with his game. There were a few throws in the short area of the field that he missed as well as some zone reads that he would like to have back.

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However, the biggest area Richardson wants to improve on is ball security. Failing to protect the football or putting it in harm’s way is a recipe for losing games. And after putting the ball on the ground twice against the Jets, Richardson wants to ensure he is taking better care of the football.

“I had two fumbles throughout the game,” Richardson remarked. “So, definitely trying to keep the ball in our hands, and pushing the ball down the field and moving the ball. But just being consistent with that, and just having a clean game with no turnovers.”

Richardson’s Colts teammates never wavered in their support for the quarterback throughout his benching, and his big game against the Jets only strengthened their confidence in #5. That confidence will serve Indy well this weekend against a Lions team outscoring its opponents by an average of 15.9 points per game.

As Steichen has been saying all season, this team is a resilient bunch. Richardson believes they will need that toughness and resiliency on Sunday.

“Just seeing the toughness from our team. We’re definitely trying to carry that over because we know we’re getting ready to play a physical team,” Richardson explained. “So, they’re going to bring it to us. We got to bring it to them.

“But just trusting my guys each and every play, like I did in that fourth quarter, and just trust in my ability. I feel like I’m a decent football player, and I like to make plays out there. And we had the opportunity to do so, and then my guys just helped me out and we just made it happen.”

Richardson will take on a Lions’ defense that gives up the sixth-most passing yards per game (232.7) but allows the fifth-fewest yards on the ground (94.8). While the quarterback run game was successful against the Jets, Richardson may have to do most of his damage with his arm. The Lions also thrive on taking the ball away, tied for fifth in the league with 19 takeaways.

While protecting the football will be key, Richardson has noticed something about the Lions’ defense that Indy will need to counteract if they want to win.

“The physicality. That was one of the main things I mentioned earlier,” Richardson mentioned. “Their front four or five guys are definitely physical. Linebackers flow pretty fast, and then their DBs like to play man and get physical on the receivers. So that’s what we’ve been talking about all week – just being physical and just bringing it to them.”

The Lions are the hottest team in the NFL, and it will be an immense challenge for the Colts to come out on top. But if you ask Richardson if he is worried about the challenge, the answer is simple. He believes his team can get the job done.

“No concerns, honestly,” Richardson declared. “Every week you’re playing a great team, but we all know like this is a pretty good team that we’re getting ready to go up against. But I feel like we’re a great team as well. So, we’ve just got to prepare like that and just get ready to go out there and compete.”

Not many people are expecting the Colts to beat the Lions on Sunday. However, not many expected Richardson to have the best performance of his career off a two-week benching.

Crazier things have happened, and with Richardson back and leading this team, the Colts always have a shot at victory.

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