Stephen Holder, ESPN
MINNEAPOLIS — The Indianapolis Colts’ quarterback movement hasn’t gone as expected, with the team’s offense at its lowest of the season in the first game since Joe Flacco was named the starter over Anthony Richardson. He recorded points, yards and first downs.
However, coach Shane Steichen said after Indianapolis’ 21-13 loss to the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday night that Flacco would remain the Colts’ QB1, a decision he made that sparked much debate. It seems they are not prepared to reconsider it.
Asked if Flacco is still the starter, Steichen said, “For now, yes.”
Steichen’s decision has come under scrutiny after he initiated the change on Tuesday, telling reporters Wednesday that the decision was made because Flacco “gives us the best chance to win right now.” told.
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Instead, the Colts fell to 4-5 and the offense appeared to take a step back, posting season lows in offensive points (6), yards (227), and first downs (13) while running back Brian Flores and struggled to find consistency in their matchups. -led defense.
The Colts were particularly unproductive in the first half, gaining just 92 yards on offense and 62 yards passing.
Indianapolis was 3-of-11 in third-down efficiency for the game, and Flacco was 3-of-9 for 47 yards in this scenario.
“Coming here with a team like that, it’s going to be tough,” Flacco said. “But I don’t think you ever expected anything like that.”
Overall, Flacco completed 16-of-27 passes for 179 yards and one interception, but this was a third-down breakout route by Vikings cornerback Byron Murphy Jr. to Colts wide receiver , the result of a questionable call that allowed him to undercut Josh Downs.
Steichen said Flacco was “okay.”
“Obviously he’s played in environments like this before,” the coach said. “But again, it starts with ourselves…we’ve got to keep looking at what we’re doing offensively. We’ve got eight games left and looking at the scheme and seeing what we’re doing… ‘You have to see what condition it is in’ and go from there. ”
Richardson’s struggles have been well-documented, particularly his NFL-low 44.4% completion percentage and seven interceptions. But the Colts missed the attributes the 22-year-old quarterback provided, including his dangerous deep ball throws and running ability.
Flacco had just two completions of 20 yards or more on Sunday. His 7.7 air yards per attempt was the lowest in a Colts game this season. Explosive play is Richardson’s specialty, with an NFL-high 12.3 air yards per attempt in 2024.
As for the running game, the Colts struggled to find consistent success against the Vikings’ formidable run defense. Richardson, a two-way quarterback, gave the Colts a boost they probably wouldn’t have had on Sunday. Indianapolis had a season-low 68 yards rushing against Minneapolis, and running back Jonathan Taylor (48 yards) had a season-low 105 yards rushing in a loss to the Houston Texans. tied for record.
Indy wideout Alec Pierce said the quarterback change “definitely changes the plays we run.” “We don’t do a lot of (run-pass option) types of things.”
The offensive performance overshadowed the Colts’ defensive swell, resulting in three turnovers, including a strip sack by Grover Stewart that Kenny Moore II returned for a touchdown. This was the Colts’ only TD of the game.
