The Indianapolis Colts are making a change at quarterback.
Former first-round pick Anthony Richardson has been benched in favor of veteran Joe Flacco, ESPN's Adam Schefter and Jeremy Fowler reported Tuesday.
Sources told Schefter and Fowler that Colts coaches met Tuesday morning and decided to change quarterbacks after a controversial game against the Houston Texans on Sunday.
Richardson completed just 10 of 32 passes in the 23-20 loss, and all the talk afterward was about the moment where he subbed himself out of the game because, he told reporters, he "was tired."
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Flacco, 39, started two games earlier this season while Richardson was injured, and the offense was more efficient with him under center. The Colts averaged 27 points per game with Flacco starting, compared to 17.3 points per game in the five contests that Richardson has started and finished (excluding the game where he got injured).
Last season, Flacco won Comeback Player of the Year while leading the Cleveland Browns to the postseason. He spent the beginning of 2023 sitting on his couch, then joined the Browns when Deshaun Watson was hurt and sparked an improbable 4-1 stretch to make the playoffs.
Richardson, meanwhile, will get to learn behind one of the league's most experienced veterans. The Florida product has started just 10 games in two NFL seasons after making just 13 starts in college.
NFL
Flacco and the Colts will be in the spotlight this week on Sunday Night Football against the Minnesota Vikings, with kickoff set for 8:20 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock.
