Anthony Richardson injury was lose-lose scenario for Colts QB battle

The biggest storyline of Thursday's NFL preseason kickoff was the Indianapolis Colts' quarterback battle. With a stout Baltimore Ravens defense lined up on the other side, fans were excited (well... at least interested?) to see Anthony Richardson and Daniel Jones go toe-to-toe against real live competition for the first time.

Shane Steichen outlined a simple plan. Richardson would start Week 1 of the preseason and play about 1.5 quarters. Jones would start Week 2. That way Indy could spread snaps with the first team equally between two viable (um... well, "viable" is a strong world) candidates in pursuit of QB1 designation.

Then it all blew up when Richardson suffered a gnarly dislocated pinky finger a few plays into the game.

That put Daniel Jones and rookie Riley Leonard in the spotlight much sooner than anticipated. The results weren't great, as Indianapolis lost 24-16 despite holding Baltimore's backup QBs to a combined 46 passing yards.

Jones threw for 144 yards on 10-of-21 passing. Leonard threw for 92 yards on 12-of-24 passing with an interception. On top of the obvious misfortune of Richardson's injury, this was pretty much the worst-case scenario for Indianapolis' QB battle. The hierarchy is somehow even less clear than it was a few hours ago.

Colts suffered lose-lose QB outcome with Anthony Richardson injury

There was no way for this to really benefit the Colts as they evaluate QB options. Barring an absolute masterclass from Daniel Jones — and we knew that wasn't happening — there was zero chance for Indy to gain clarity on its quarterback room. Had Jones performed well, the common line of thinking would be "well, we didn't get to see enough of Anthony Richardson." Now that Jones has performed poorly, Richardson might had momentum, if only he wasn't hurt. It does not help that Richardson suffered the injury on an all-too-characteristic blunder in the pocket. He just did not clock the blitz whatsoever.

The Colts are right back where they started with no clear option to start games. Every fan has their opinion — some with argue for Richardson's sky-high potential, while others will cite the perceived stability of Jones, who did have that one good year in New York. But the Colts clearly entered training camp without a clue as to who deserved the QB1 label. Now Richardson is hurt, Jones looked bad, and Riley Leonard clearly is not a secret, better third option. Indianapolis has just as much, if not more to sort through.

Anthony Richardson's recovery timeline could determine Colts' Week 1 starter

How quickly Richardson is able to return from his injury should tell us a lot. It has been reported as a dislocated finger, which could be seen bent in an unnatural 90-degree on the broadcast. We are still awaiting news on the severity of the dislocation. There's a world in which Richardson is back before the preseason is out. There is also a world in which Indy preserves him for the regular season out of caution.

If Richardson misses a few weeks, that probably clears the path for Jones to at least start in Week 1 of the regular season. Then we can see where it goes from there. But if Richardson is back, we are at square one again. Richardson was probably the ever-so-slight favorite to claim the job prior to Thursday's twist of fate. Indy certainly has more invested in him short- and long-term. But now, it's a big ol' ¯\(ツ)/¯. Time will tell.