Indianapolis Colts rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson made his preseason debut as the starter during Saturday’s opener against the Buffalo Bills.
Richardson led the starting offense for three drives, which encompassed the entire first quarter and lasted 27 plays.
His debut didn’t get off to a great start. His third pass attempt on the first drive ended with an interception that will be broken down plenty of times over the next week.
On the surface, it looks like a panic throw under pressure. Either Richardson was trying to throw it away or to wide receiver Isaiah McKenzie. Regardless, it was clear Richardson tried to force a play that wasn’t there.
Anthony Richardson’s third pass is intercepted 😬 pic.twitter.com/3DHEaLstyg
— PFF (@PFF) August 12, 2023
Granted, McKenzie took the blame for the turnover, calling it a miscommunication issue. That may be true, but it’s still a poor throw from Richardson.
Isaiah McKenzie talking to @LarraOverton said the interception from Anthony Richardson was on him, just a miscommunication thing.
— Jake Arthur (@JakeArthurNFL) August 12, 2023
While that’s not the best way to open a debut, Richardson settled down a bit on his final two drives. He still showed some accuracy issues, stemming mostly from footwork and some touch issues.
However, he also dropped some nice passes. This deep ball to Alec Pierce was as perfect as it gets. From the footwork and climbing the pocket to the touch and ball placement, this is what gets fans and coaches excited.
Unfortunately, Pierce couldn’t finish the catch as he went to the ground. It was easily Richardson’s best throw of the game.
Anthony Richardson had a DIME that was dropped 🎯 pic.twitter.com/Kmv9Ld2YWC
— PFF (@PFF) August 12, 2023
Richardson also had a nice throw to tight end Kylen Granson over the middle, layering a ball over the second level for a 20-yard completion.
Richardson’s best drive was his final one. He led a 14-play, 77-yard drive into the red zone just before the end of the first quarter. Unfortunately, kicker Matt Gay missed a 28-yard field-goal attempt, and the Colts were left without any points.
Overall, it was a fine performance from Richardson. He needs the reps and even needs to learn from mistakes he made during the game. The fact that he bounced back on his next two drives shows he is making improvements, which is exactly what the Colts want to see.
He still has some issues to clean up in terms of footwork, varying velocity and just overall ball placement, but this was an encouraging outing to build off of moving forward.
