Anthony Richardson, Colts avoid bad injury news after Week 4 departure

Roughly one year after suffering a season-ending shoulder injury, Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson returned to field with hopes of playing his first full season in the NFL.

Those hopes were nearly dashed once again during the Colts’ 27-24 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday.

Richardson left the game in the first quarter with a hip injury after sliding awkwardly and taking a hit from Steelers safety Minkah Fitzpatrick. The second-year quarterback managed to get up and limp to the sideline before heading back to the locker room.

There were fears that Richardson may have suffered another significant injury that could derail his sophomore campaign, but the quarterback is expected to be fine. The Colts believe Richardson suffered a hip pointer and decided to play it safe, NFL Network’s Cameron Wolfe reported on Sunday. 

Anthony Richardson is expected to be fine after hip injury

Richardson was ruled out while Indianapolis held a 17-0 lead over Pittsburgh, but the decision was precautionary. The Colts quarterback believed he could have returned to the game and didn’t seem to be overly concerned while speaking with Wolfe in the locker room after the game. 

Richardson said his hip was “still sore” and he “tried to accelerate but couldn’t push off like I wanted to,” Wolfe reported.

The hip injury appeared to be an aggravation of an injury he suffered after taking a big hit on a 16-yard run earlier in the drive. The hit resulted in a fumble, but Indianapolis managed to recover the ball. Richardson left the game for two snaps before coming back in, but the pain was clearly too much to play through. 

Colts fans can breathe a sigh of relief — at least for now. Unfortunately, the 22-year-old quarterback has a propensity for taking big hits. In his rookie season, Richardson only remained healthy for four full games. He suffered a season-ending AC joint sprain in his throwing shoulder in Week 5.

Richardson shrugged off concerns about his durability when asked about his playing style this summer.

"I don't think there's any way I could have avoided what happened to me," Richardson said in May. "Just a regular, routine tackle. I tried to brace myself for the fall and just my shoulder did what it did. There's nothing I could do about that. Changing my game and my play style? I don't feel like there's anything wrong with my play style."

Before his Week 5 injury in 2023, Richardson completed 50 of 84 passes for 577 yards, three passing touchdowns and one interception. On the ground, he added 136 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns on 25 carries.

While his dynamic ability creates electrifying moments, Richardson will inevitably have to adjust some aspects of his playing style to sustain a reliable and consistent career. Last season, Richardson suffered a concussion and missed one game before hurting his shoulder. It's tough to survive through the entirety of a season with that type of playing style. 

Richardson completed three-of-four pass attempts for 71 yards in his limited playing time on Sunday. He also added 26 rushing yards before he was sidelined for the remainder of the contest. In his place, veteran quarterback Joe Flacco led the Colts to their second win by completing 16 of 26 pass attempts for 168 yards and two touchdowns.