Anthony Richardson gives Colts all the reason they need to start Joe Flacco next week

Trying to find a balance between developing a quarterback and winning in the NFL isn't easy. While all teams would love to simply roll out a rookie and have them lead them into contention, like Jayden Daniels has done for the Washington Commanders this year and C.J. Stroud did for Houston last year, many young passers experience growing pains that can cost their teams games at critical junctures.

There may not be a team facing a more difficult development situation than the Indianapolis Colts, who look like a playoff team when backup quarterback Joe Flacco is on the field and a mediocre group with Anthony Richardson, the No. 4 overall pick in the 2023 draft, starting games. Richardson had a disastrous first half in Sunday's loss to the Texans, completing 2-of-15 passes for 81 yards with a touchdown and an interception.

When you remove the 69-yard touchdown strike to Josh Downs from Richardson's line, he finished the day completing just 9-of-31 passes for 106 yards with an interception, a lost fumble and five sacks taken. To make matters worse, Richardson subbed out of the game on a critical red zone situation for a reason that should be inexcusable for a franchise quarterback.

Anthony Richardson's Post Game Presser Provides Bizarre Explanation For Subbing Out

While most would assume a one-play absence in the red zone would be due to an injury evaluation, Richardson revealed he was simply tired on the play and needed a breather, telling Steichen to take him out for a brief period. Flacco entered at that point and handled a running play before giving the reins back to Richardson.

While Richardson indicated he wasn't going to lie to the media with his explanation, perhaps it would have been better for his standing in the locker room than he did. The Colts are now going to have spend a full week dealing with distractions about Richardson's comments, which wouldn't have gone over as poorly as they have if he had played well throughout the contest.

The AFC playoff picture is tight and Flacco has shown the ability to lead the Colts to wins, which should be the primary consideration for a team that looks ready to win now and is being held back by its starting quarterback. While one off-handed comment shouldn't be the impetus for a quarterback change, no one can deny that the Colts will be better off letting Flacco take over as the starter while Richardson resets his development on the bench.