Anthony Richardson shined in his Colts return, but one great game isn't enough

Mo Alie-Cox could feel it.

As one of the last players in the Indianapolis Colts locker room who played alongside Andrew Luck, the veteran tight end remembers what it’s like to witness a great quarterback take over. The word he used to describe Richardson’s fourth-quarter performance against the Jets? “Cooking,” Alie-Cox said, laughing, as he reflected on New York’s helplessness to stop the Richardson.

Richardson didn’t look like the erratic second-year pro who had many people questioning whether he could ever become a franchise QB. He looked like a player accessing the peak of his powers, with his body and mind operating so harmoniously that it didn’t matter what Jets defenders did — even if they were in a position to stop him.

Richardson still had a counter.

“The coaches can always go draw it up, but then you can step on the field, and something might not be the look you were expecting,” Alie-Cox said. “That’s when the players come to play, and then with him, you see what he’s capable of.”

After Richardson’s clutch, three-touchdown performance, the question now becomes: Can he do it again against the Detroit Lions, arguably the best team in the NFL?

“I wouldn’t say there’s any desire to prove anything, honestly,” Richardson said of his motivation to play well against the Lions. “It’s just really a desire to just keep stacking up my process and … putting in the work, so I can get better each and every week.”

Despite Richardson’s attempt to downplay what another strong game against Detroit could do for his confidence — and his teammates’ confidence in him — he will likely need to be at his best to help the Colts pull off an upset. The Lions are the NFL’s No. 1 scoring offense with 33.6 points per game. They’ve scored more than 40 points four times and more than 50 points twice, including last week’s 52-6 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Detroit also boasts the No. 5-ranked scoring defense, limiting opponents to 17.7 points per game. Safety Kerby Joseph, who has a league-high seven interceptions, is someone Colts offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter says his team must locate “at all times” because of his elite ball-tracking skills. However, when Richardson was asked about his level of “concern” in the matchup, he quickly dismissed using that word to frame his team’s upcoming game.

“Definitely no concerns, honestly,” Richardson said. “Every week, you’re playing a great team, but we all know this is a pretty good team that we’re getting ready to go up against. But I feel like we’re a great team, as well, so I feel like we just gotta prepare like that and just get ready to go out there and compete.”

The Colts haven’t won back-to-back games in more than a month, while the Lions haven’t lost a game in more than two months. Richardson’s teammates are confident he’ll be up for the challenge, mainly because they believe the young QB has already moved beyond his performance in New York.

On Wednesday, just four days removed from the best game of his budding NFL career, Richardson appeared to be completely over it as he fielded questions at his locker. His approach wasn’t unusual for a QB, as many of them subscribe to the nonchalance method of answering questions to help mitigate the spotlight they’re constantly under. But for Richardson, it was an obvious change in demeanor.

I asked #Colts HC Shane Steichen how much he thinks QB Anthony Richardson can *really* change in 2-3 weeks:

“He’s definitely still growing. But we’ve seen great strides like I said last week. And it showed. … I think it’s gonna pay huge dividends in the long run.” pic.twitter.com/PwJIqA3HuC

— James Boyd (@RomeovilleKid) November 20, 2024

The happy-go-lucky young man he used to be is likely still inside him, though that version of him seems to be buried deep down following his two-week benching. What’s emerged to replace it is a 22-year-old who is now trying to carry himself like a 10-year veteran.

“In the meeting room (Wednesday), we were going over stuff, and he was a little bit more vocal,” Alie-Cox said. “Coach (Shane Steichen) was asking like, ‘What do you have (on this play)?’ and he was answering it immediately like, ‘You check to this,’ and things like that. You can see he’s been locked in even more than he already was.

“He just wants to keep proving to everybody that they made the right decision in going back to him.”

But on the other side of Richardson’s hunger to deliver for those who never lost faith in him, there also must be a part of him that wants to silence his doubters — even if he’ll never explicitly say so himself.

Richardson’s teammates can still sense the edge beneath his now stoic exterior. The young signal-caller was scrutinized on national TV for weeks, some of it fair and some of it foul. The external criticism will never dwarf his own, as Richardson has routinely said he doesn’t seek validation from people outside of the Colts franchise.

But fuel can come in many forms.

“He’s out there to prove everybody wrong,” wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. said. “Everything that everybody’s been saying about him, he is just out there to show them that he’s here and he’s here to stay. And he’s gonna do it his way.”

Richardson’s way worked well last week, with the Colts building their offensive game plan around his legs. The 2023 No. 4 pick scored two rushing touchdowns against the Jets and has seven rushing scores through his first 11 NFL games, which is the fourth-most in league history and one more than Bills superstar Josh Allen, whom Richardson is often compared to.

Alie-Cox said he can see Richardson’s tantalizing ceiling even more clearly after he torched New York, and he’s excited to see his QB tap deeper into his “MVP-caliber” potential. The veteran tight end is also fully aware Richardson still has a long way to go, but Alie-Cox is confident that Richardson can one day elevate a franchise.

Steichen said Richardson is “still growing,” and the coach has continued to remind his quarterback that he must key in on the details behind the scenes so that he can shine bright on game days. Sunday’s game against the Lions isn’t the biggest stage Richardson hopes to play on in his career, but it can serve as a barometer for where he’s at currently and where he intends to go.

“They’re gonna bring it to us. We gotta bring it to them,” Richardson said of his mindset. “Just trusting my guys each and every play, like I did in that fourth quarter (against the Jets), and just trusting my ability. I feel like I’m a decent football player, and I like to make plays.”