Ex-NFL QB Blames Anthony Richardson for His Own Sack in Colts’ First Preseason Game

Richardson dislocated his right pinky on the play but will be okay.
Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson got injured after taking a sack in his first preseason game against the Baltimore Ravens Thursday night.
Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson got injured after taking a sack in his first preseason game against the Baltimore Ravens Thursday night. / Rafael Suanes-Imagn Images
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Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson saw his preseason outing end much earlier than expected after he got injured on a sack during Thursday's opener against the Baltimore Ravens.

On the Colts' second offensive drive of the night, Richardson got rocked by Ravens linebacker David Ojabo, who sent him to the turf after running unblocked past the Colts' O-line. Richardson was ruled out for the rest of the game and diagnosed with a dislocated right pinky.

In light of Richardson's latest injury, former NFL quarterback Chase Daniel took to social media to clear up some public misconceptions about the play. Daniel explained that the blame wasn't on the Colts' offensive line or the running back—it was solely on Richardson.

"First of all, the running back is free-releasing," said Daniel. "It's called scat protection, five-man protection. This is the protection that's called. Second of all, the center is going to the left, and because it's a five-man pressure, you see a linebacker blitz. So 90 [Ojabo] is left free.

"People are like, 'Why didn't the right tackle stay on 90?' It's called sifting. You're supposed to sift as a right tackle to the most dangerous guy. ... This is completely on Anthony Richardson. First of all, throw into the hot, we've talked about this multiple times. This is Day 1 install. I know there's a left defensive end dropping up top, throw the back, you're gonna get hit, this is what happened, you're looking at the wrong side. This is not on the running back, this is not on the offensive line."

Daniel made clear that he thought Richardson should have just thrown hot to his running back on the right side, which would have likely kept him upright.

Richardson, for his part, told reporters after the game that it was a "tricky" play and took some ownership for his sack, saying he should have reacted to the blitz better and be on his "Ps and Qs." Hopefully, Richardson makes a full recovery as well as learns from his mistakes the next time around.


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Kristen Wong
KRISTEN WONG

Kristen Wong is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. She has been a sports journalist since 2020. Before joining SI in November 2023, Wong covered four NFL teams as an associate editor with the FanSided NFL Network and worked as a staff writer for the brand’s flagship site. Outside of work, she has dreams of running her own sporty dive bar.