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Colts hold off Steelers as Joe Flacco shows Anthony Richardson how to keep it simple

30 September 2024Last Update :
Colts hold off Steelers as Joe Flacco shows Anthony Richardson how to keep it simple

INDIANAPOLIS — A hush fell over the crowd Sunday afternoon at Lucas Oil Stadium.

Indianapolis Colts QB Anthony Richardson had just ripped off a 14-yard run in the first quarter of Indy’s eventual 27-24 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers. But at the end, he was stripped by Steelers safety DeShon Elliott and drilled directly on his right hip by Pittsburgh safety Minkah Fitzpatrick. Colts center Tanor Bortolini recovered the fumble, but Richardson stayed on the ground.

It felt eerily similar to the way things went nearly one year ago to the day.

A run, a hit and a season-ending injury.

“You saw A.R. go down,” Colts wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. said. “Immediately I go, ‘Oh s—.’”

Fortunately, this wasn’t déjà vu. Richardson was indeed hurt, but he wasn’t lost for the season. In fact, after being replaced by backup Joe Flacco, Richardson returned to the game, but only for two plays before re-aggravating his hip pointer and being ruled out for the rest of the game.

“I tried to go back out there, but I just couldn’t accelerate how I wanted to,” said Richardson, who took a zone read one yard before sliding to the ground and taking another (softer) hit from Fitzpatrick. “So, coach (Shane Steichen) was like, ‘(I’m) trying not to mess up the team right now,’ so I was like, ‘I’ll just sit.’”

He finished the day 3-of-4 passing for 71 yards, along with 24 rushing yards, on just 13 snaps.

Flacco was reinserted and proceeded to shine against arguably the best defense in the NFL. The 17-year veteran’s stoic demeanor masked his excitement and nervousness, both a reminder that fun doesn’t have an expiration date.

“I’m glad I’m not wearing some kind of heart rate monitor because I would not want you guys to see what happens to it in that situation,” Flacco said with a smile. “It’s just one of those things where you kind of have to go back to the basics and let everything else take care of itself.”

Flacco, the “guru,” as Colts safety Julian Blackmon calls him, has done all of this before. He won Super Bowl MVP as a member of the Baltimore Ravens in 2013, and then, after being out of the league, he joined the Cleveland Browns down the stretch last season and went 4-1 as the starter to guide them into the playoffs.

His role has changed a lot, from being the face of a franchise to being the face’s backup. But the reason Flacco has been able to adapt, survive and thrive in seemingly every situation is because he can still make the layups.

Layups Richardson is still trying to make.

“You just see the guy, and you hit him,” Flacco said, dismissing the notion that he did anything special Sunday. “That’s what you do.”

The veteran finished 16-of-26 passing for 168 yards. Flacco obviously wasn’t as explosive as Richardson (6.5 yards per attempt versus 17.8 yards per attempt for Richardson), but he made the easy throws, the throws that Richardson sometimes makes look way too difficult. The second-year pro’s one incompletion Sunday? An overthrow to Pittman on a simple out route three plays after slinging a 32-yard laser to Pittman.

Flacco, on just his second throw and fourth snap of the season, delivered a dart to Josh Downs for a 4-yard TD. When Downs returned to the sideline, practice squad wide receiver D.J. Montgomery reminded him of what he’d just accomplished.

“He came up and was like, ‘Aye, you just caught a touchdown from Super Bowl quarterback!’” Downs said, laughing. “I was like, ‘I ain’t even think of it like that!’”

Flacco’s heart rate likely dropped a bit after tossing his first touchdown as a Colt and the 246th of his career, as he said he was able to settle in.

“He did a hell of a job,” Steichen said.

While Flacco didn’t light up the scoreboard the rest of the afternoon, he came through when the Colts needed him most.

Perhaps the biggest situation came late in the third quarter, when the Colts, up 17-10, needed to counter the Steelers’ momentum and regain their two-score advantage. Flacco marched the Colts 70 yards in 10 plays that included a trio of surgical, clutch throws.

There was the 12-yard pass to Pittman on third-and-10 from Indy’s 30-yard line. Then the 15-yard pass to Downs on third-and-7 from Pittsburgh’s 40-yard line. And finally, the 15-yard touchdown pass to Drew Ogletree on third-and-10.

None of those throws were flashy. All of them were timely.

“Some guys love to think about every little thing and everything that can go right, everything that can go wrong, and that’s how they play best. That’s how they stay locked in,” Flacco said. “I think my personality probably lends itself decent to this type of situation because yeah, it’s like, ‘Don’t overthink it. Don’t overdo it.’ It’s just a game of football. Go out there, if the guy’s open, throw it to him and hit him. Just keep it simple.”

That message has been a theme throughout Richardson’s second season. Can the young QB blessed with Superman’s abilities learn to be just as effective when they’re not needed?

“Execution and details matter,” Richardson said, asked about Flacco’s performance. “Watching Joe go out there and do it, it feels good, because it lets me know that the offense is great, and I’ve just got to be out there and be in it.”

Richardson added that he was “feeling a little sore” after the game and couldn’t say for certain that he’ll be available in Week 5 at Jacksonville. Ideally, the Colts would like to have their starting quarterback as they look to end a nine-game road losing streak against the Jaguars, but regardless of his status, Flacco will be ready.

He was ready over a decade ago in Baltimore.

He was ready last year in Cleveland.

And he was ready when the Colts — credit to GM Chris Ballard for paying ($4.5 million) for a quality backup — needed him on Sunday.

“This is the best job in the world,” Flacco said. “I had a blast.”

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(Photo: Christine Tannous / USA Today Newtork via Imagn Images)

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