NFL Rumors: Anthony Richardson’s Play Made Colts ‘Almost Inevitable Call’ | News, scores, highlights, stats and rumors

For all the talk about Anthony Richardson’s decision to take himself out of a game because he was tired, the feeling around the NFL is that his overall play this season is the reason the Indianapolis Colts are making a quarterback change.

According to ESPN’s Jeremy FowlerOpposing coaches who played the Colts this season said they were forced to make an “almost inevitable call” to bench Richardson because of his trouble seeing the field.

Colts head coach Shane Steichen announced Wednesday that Richardson was benched in favor of Flacco, but he emphasized that they still believe in the 22-year-old’s ability to play at a high level in the NFL.

“It’s a tough decision, but I thought it was in the best interest of our football team,” Steichen said. “I feel like Joe gives us the best chance to win right now. That said, I’m not giving up on Anthony in any way, really. He’s a young player with a lot of talent. He’s going to I use it to further develop and grow as a professional.”

Richardson’s decision at that point to turn himself in for a third-quarter play against the Houston Texans didn’t in itself create much of a stir. Only then, during his post-match press conference, when he told reporters he did it because he was “tired”, did it become a big story.

Steichen said On Monday, he had a conversation with Richardson about his comments, which he said he would keep private.

If Richardson had played well before his blunder, maybe it would have been a story for a day and everyone would have moved on. After that one moment, it became easier to highlight the negative aspects of his performance this season.

Richardson finished 10 of 32 for 175 yards with one touchdown and one interception against the Texans. He has completed 50 percent or fewer of his attempts in all five games he has started and finished this season.

Of the 39 quarterbacks with at least 50 attempts this season, Richardson is the only one completing fewer than 58 percent of his passes. He is shooting 44.4 percent on 133 attempts with four touchdowns and seven interceptions.

The Colts will take on the Minnesota Vikings at US Bank Stadium on Sunday Night Football, with Richardson serving as Flacco’s backup.