The Colts vs. Bears Week 3 battle features a pair of talented young quarterbacks, with Anthony Richardson for the Colts and this year's first overall draft pick Caleb Williams under center for the Bears.
Richardson missed the majority of his rookie season due to a shoulder injury. Expectations were high for him to return in 2024, and his dual-threat abilities were expected to help open up the Indianapolis offense.
However, the Colts lost their first two games of the season, and it has been easy to point the finger at Richardson. The QB went into Week 3 completing less than 50 percent of his passes. He had 416 yards and three touchdowns but four interceptions and two fumbles to go with it.
The Chicago defense is a solid unit, but Richardson is making it look great in Week 3. Early in the third quarter, he was 7-15 passing for 133 yards and threw his second bad interception of the game, leading many to wonder if the Colts need to make a switch under center.
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Will Anthony Richardson be benched?
The more Richardson struggles, the more the Indy faithful will be calling for backup quarterback Joe Flacco. The veteran led the Cleveland Browns to the playoffs last year after taking over midway through the season.
The good news for Richardson is that despite his struggles, the Colts were still up 7-3 against Chicago in the early part of the third. If he has another turnover or two and Indianapolis loses this game, Richardson could be forced to the bench before this season gets away from the Colts.
Richardson's interceptions have been bad. He claimed the first one was tipped, but when you look at it it is hard to even tell what he saw that made him think he could complete the pass.
Anthony Richardson with a brutal redzone interception. Just can't have this.
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) September 22, 2024
Already his 5th INT on the year. pic.twitter.com/OQy0Ow0dpi
The second was on a deep shot that Richardson just sailed right into a defender. Still, this makes six interceptions in his first three games of the season.
Anthony Richardson is melting down right now. Another terrible INT pic.twitter.com/p0HlIOmoo0
— Billy M (@BillyM_91) September 22, 2024
MORE: Week 3 Power Rankings | Week 3 NFL picks | Week 3 NFL picks against the spread
Anthony Richardson stats today vs. Bears
- Passing attempts: 20
- Passing completions: 10
- Passing yards: 167
- Passing touchdowns: 0
- Interceptions: 2
- Rush Attempts: 8
- Rushing Yards: 24
Despite Richardson's stat line being suboptimal, the Colts' QB did help Indianapolis to its first win of the season. This could delay his benching, but it was a five-point win over a Chicago team whose quarterback also struggled mightily.
Colts QB depth chart
| 1. | Anthony Richardson |
| 2. | Joe Flacco |
| 3. | Sam Ehlinger |
| 4. | Jason Bean (practice squad) |
Richardson is likely the best option for the Colts' offense overall — when he is on. The combination of his strong arm and his versatile running makes him one of the most explosive weapons in the league. When he is bad, though, he has struggled mightily. The fact that he likes running so much has him taking extra hits and he isn't known for his ball security.
The then-38-year-old Flacco played in five regular-season games for the Browns last year. It was a career resurgence for the veteran, but the momentum ran out in the playoffs.
| Games | Completion % | Passing Yards | Passing Touchdowns | Interceptions | |
| Joe Flacco w/ Browns | 5 | 60.3% | 1,616 | 13 | 8 |
Ehlinger has been ruled out for Week 3, but he is serving as the team's emergency quarterback. He can only enter the game if both Richardson and Flacco are unable to play.
