Anthony Richardson’s leadership evident as Colts prepare for Bears

Anthony Richardson’s start to the 2024 season has been mixed so far.

Week 1 was marked by Richardson’s explosiveness in the Indianapolis Colts’ offense, throwing three passes for 50+ yards in a close loss to the Houston Texans. Week 2 was the opposite, with Richardson turning the ball over three times and never finding a rhythm against the Green Bay Packers.

Richardson is expected to be up and down this season as the young quarterback continues to develop and learn. He has just six NFL starts under his belt and 19 since high school. It’s unrealistic to think Richardson is a finished product at this point.

However, the NFL is a results-driven league, and the Colts find themselves with a 0-2 deficit to start the year. A matchup against the Chicago Bears in Week 3 will be crucial in determining whether the Colts can turn things around or if their season starts to slip. After his performance at Lambeau Field last Sunday, Richardson is eager to get back on the field and redeem himself.

“Every week, we’re excited,” Richardson said. “We’re ready to play, we’re ready to give it our all, we’re ready to do whatever it takes to win. But it’s the same mindset, no matter what happened last week. That’s in the past. We lost. Forget about it. We’ve just got to go out there and play and win.”

While the focus is on Richardson’s growth on the field, the second-year pro is also growing in the locker room. The starting quarterback is always looked at as a leader on the team, whether he’s a rookie or a 10-year veteran. That can be a lot of pressure, especially if you’re entering an NFL locker room at 21 years old like Richardson did last year.

After spending more than a year with the team, Richardson has already seen his leadership abilities develop. He was named team captain for the second year in a row and has taken on a larger role in the locker room. The role now seems natural for Richardson.

“I feel a lot more comfortable than I did last year,” Richardson said. “It was all new to me. I was still trying to find my place on this team, but I think I’ve pretty much found my place now. It’s just about keeping a level head, staying calm and just playing for the team.”

The Colts are 0-2 and need a leader like Richardson right now. Richardson isn’t a big talker, but his calm demeanor in good times and bad helps keep the team balanced no matter the situation. Other leaders like Ryan Kelly and Quenton Nelson have spoken about Richardson’s ability to lead the team and keep everyone calm in adversity.

There’s no panic with Richardson, and when your leader doesn’t panic in tough times, chances are the team doesn’t panic either.

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“I think I’m going to show the team that I’m going to be myself no matter what,” Richardson said. “We had a great game, of course I’m going to celebrate. But that’s in the past. We’ve got to keep pushing. Conversely, we had a bad game, I’ve got to think about it and get over it, but that’s in the past. I’ve just got to make it work and go out there and give it my all, no matter what happened.”

Richardson’s leadership has been on display this week as the Colts prepare to face the Bears. While the team isn’t panicking about its slow start, it understands that things need to change quickly. Both sides of the ball have shown a heightened sense of focus this week, realizing the need to execute at a higher level and better adapt to what the opponent is throwing at them.

For the offense, better execution means maintaining attacks and being more efficient. After a lot of explosive plays through the air by the Colts against the Texans, the Packers defense adjusted and played deep on almost every play. They didn’t allow Richardson to beat them deep, forcing the Colts quarterback to take what the defense gave him.

The results weren’t good for Indy, as Richardson made poor decisions with the ball, receivers had numerous drops, and the passing attack had little success. Richardson will have to expect the same strategy from opposing defenses in the future. It’s up to him and the rest of the offense to overcome that.

“I think it’s like that every week,” Richardson said of the defenses’ adjustments. “We saw it last week. We obviously knew they weren’t going to allow us to make big plays and big shots. So we’ve just got to find a way to make that work in our game and just run our offense and just play.”

Bears head coach and former Colts defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus is known for his “bend but don’t break” defense, forcing offenses to move down the field instead of allowing big plays. The same strategy will be employed this week, forcing Richardson to be patient, make the right reads and get the ball accurately and on time to his receivers.

Fortunately for Richardson, he’ll have one of his favorite targets back this week. Josh Downs has been out for six weeks from a high ankle sprain, but he’s expected to make his season debut Sunday. Downs has tremendous chemistry with Richardson and should help him in the short and intermediate areas of the field.

However, Downs’ return won’t be enough. Michael Pittman Jr. and Adonai Mitchell also need to step up and play at a higher level after two disappointing weeks. It will take a team effort from Richardson and his full arsenal to get the offense moving again.

“You know, obviously, he’s a big part of our offense, a great weapon to have,” Richardson said of Downs. “Just getting him back would be great for us. We just have to get more guys involved. But whoever’s on the field, we’ve got to execute and do what we have to do.”

The Colts offense knows what it’s up against this week. It also knows how imperative it is that it emerge victorious. To do so, it will need the word of the week.

“Just execute. We already know that execution is the plan,” Richardson replied. “Execution is a thought process. Nobody in this building wants to lose. We’re tired of losing honestly, so we’re just trying to figure out a way to dig deep and win.”

Richardson’s leadership keeps the Colts calm, focused and committed to the task at hand. But it’s his execution Sunday that will ultimately determine whether Indy emerges from Week 3 with a victory.

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