Anthony Richardson’s Quick but Effective Week 2 Preformance
The title says it all. Richardson was looking to have a huge day last week. The former Florida quarterback started off hot, as he totaled 2 touchdowns on the ground. Sadly, his second NFL start was cut short due to a concussion. Richardson left the game early in the second quarter. Today, I will be giving my opinion on Richardson’s performance. Though it was short, I thought Richardson showed flashes of how good he can be once he develops.
Photo Credit: Zach Bolinger, Associated Press
Richardson’s first drive was a thing of beauty. The young quarterback showed an immense amount of poise by driving the Colts down the field for the game’s first score. Richardson finished his first drive with a stat line of 5/6 completions for 50 yards and an 18-yard rushing touchdown. I loved the play calling by Shane Steichen, the early stages of the game plan focused on distributing the ball to numerous receivers. Eventually, the team was in the red zone and Richardson capitalized. On first and ten, Steichen called a design quarterback draw and it worked perfectly. Richardson showed his blazing speed as he broke out of the hole created by his offensive line, he sped past both a safety and a linebacker for six to get the Colts on the board.
The next thing I want to focus on is Richardson’s second touchdown. Again, the touchdown was created through the ground game. What I love about this play is how creative it is. Richardson pretends to fake a handoff to a receiver in motion coming left. The play builds off the defense anticipating the ball going to the receiver, for context, the receiver also had a lead block from the running back and the rest of the left side of the offensive line. At this point, almost two-thirds of the defense is running to the left, this set up a perfect time for Richardson to capitalize off the created deception. The Colts quarterback then tucks the ball and runs to the right. In front of Richardson, he has one receiver and two offensive linemen ahead of him. First, the receiver makes a fantastic block opening up a massive lane on the right side of the field. At this point, the Texans’ defense is screwed. Both linemen make great blocks, Richardson then speeds by and gets tackled going into the endzone. Remember, this was all in the first quarter. I really wish he didn’t get hurt and finished this game, I was excited to see his final stat line.
Photo Credit: Zach Bolinger, Icon Sportswire
This game showed how effective Richardson can be playing in this Steichen offense. The former Eagles offensive coordinator loves to call design runs for the quarterback, especially in the red zone or short-yardage situations. We still need plenty of time to determine if Richardson can develop as a passer, but so far I love how he is being used in the rushing game. Let’s hope he stays healthy, this guy looks like a potential game-changer if he can fully develop.
