Colts' QB Exceeds Expectations in Debut vs. Jaguars: All-AR5 Film
The Indianapolis Colts continued their Week 1 losing streak as they fell to the Jacksonville Jaguars 31-21.
While Colts fans would have loved to have seen their team get the win, the focus was on rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson. Richardson, the No.4 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, made his first NFL start on Sunday. Expectations are high for the 21-year-old quarterback, but it will likely take some time before he reaches his ceiling.
Richardson put together a solid stat line for his debut, finishing 24-of-37 (64.9%) for 223 yards, a touchdown, an interception, and a QB rating of 79.0. The rookie also ran the ball 10 times for 40 yards and a touchdown. But Richardson was not satisfied with his performance.
“We didn't win, so I didn't do good enough," Richardson said after the game. "But first game, first experience, felt good just being out there with my teammates. The energy was good. We've just got to clean some things up, including myself, but it was fun out there just being back out there playing football.”
For the past two years at Horseshoe Huddle, I have created season-long film review series for each starting quarterback of the Colts. In 2021, we had "Wentzday" as we chronicled the roller coaster of Carson Wentz. In 2022, "Ryan Review" shed light on Father Time catching up to former NFL MVP Matt Ryan.
A new quarterback in 2023 for the Colts means a new series. Introducing “All-AR5", a weekly dive into the All-22 film as we dissect the good and bad from Richardson's performance. Richardson may have been making his first start, but the film revealed he exceeded expectations against the Jaguars.
Patience in the Short Game
The Jaguars' game plan was to make Richardson use patience to get the ball down the field. Richardson is known for his big arm, and head coach Shane Steichen wants to use that ability to create explosive plays down the field. The Jaguars stayed in a two-high safety shell for most of the game, forcing a short passing game and for Richardson to be accurate with the football.
The first clip from today shows Richardson staying patient and using his checkdowns to take what the defense gave him. These clips show the Jaguars doing a great job covering the Colts' pass catchers downfield. But Richardson does a nice job getting through his reads and not forcing things.
Steichen also dialed up a few screen plays to take advantage of the deep coverage and get the ball out of Richardson's hands quickly. The second clip shows the biggest pass play of the day, where Richardson got the ball out to Michael Pittman Jr. on a screen as the WR1 takes it 39 yards for the touchdown. The touchdown was Richardson's first passing touchdown of his career.
Expect other defenses to play this kind of coverage and test Richardson's ability to stay patient and work his way down the field. The shot opportunities will come, but Richardson must execute in the short passing game for the Colts to be successful.
Attacking the Middle
Richardson did have a few opportunities to make passes past the line of scrimmage on Sunday. When those looks arose, the middle of the field was where the rookie quarterback had the most success.
The next set of clips shows a few great throws by Richardson over the middle. Richardson's most impressive throw came when he sensed the pressure and quickly threw the ball to his hot read, receiver Josh Downs. He also found tight ends Kylen Granson and Drew Ogletree down the seam with rocket passes for nice gains.
Look for the middle of the field to be a sweet spot for Richardson this season. We saw the rookie hit his receivers over the middle during the preseason after he brought defenders down with play-action fakes. These throws are easy completions for the rookie and will help build up his confidence in the offense.
Running Threat
The unique aspect of Richardson's game that the Colts are not used to having is his incredible athleticism. With 4.43 speed, Richardson is a threat to run the football and take it to the house on every single play. The Colts offense will use Richardson's rushing ability often throughout the season.
Below are four of Richardson's best rushes from Sunday, including his touchdown on the ground. The touchdown run is a beautiful play design by Steichen to move bodies around and open a hole for his quarterback to run through. You can see the speed and power of the rookie quarterback on these designed runs.
Richardson's ability to run also has an impact in the read option and RPO game. Throughout the game, Richardson made a few mistakes on read options where he should have kept the ball himself rather than handing it off. Other times, a pass option was the correct call, and Richardson chose to hand it off. It seemed like he made the appropriate read most of the time, but it is an area he will need to clean up.
The more Richardson is put in these situations, the better he will become at diagnosing the correct read. Live reps and getting used to the speed of the NFL game will help in this area.
Still Learning
While Richardson was solid in many areas on Sunday, there are still plenty of things he needs to clean up. Accuracy issues, holding onto the ball too long, and an interception all plagued the rookie in his first start.
The next clip shows some of the misses Richardson had with accuracy. When he did miss throws, they tended to be high or behind his intended target. On the second throw to Granson, Richardson looks like he is trying to guide the ball rather than throw it.
Although the box score will show Richardson was sacked four times, two of the sacks were when he was run out of bounds near the line of scrimmage. On the other two sacks, the film revealed that Richardson did have open men in the flat (Granson) and on a crosser (Juwann Winfree). Richardson did not see them in time and was brought down for a loss.
Finally, we come to Richardson's lone interception of the day. The rookie is trying to hit tight end Mo Alie-Cox on the corner route. However, he stares down Alie-Cox the whole way and does not put enough air on the ball. Jaguars' cornerback Tyson Campbell baits Richardson into the throw and gets the pick.
All of these mistakes by Richardson are correctable. His accuracy will continue to be a work in progress, but finding the open man and understanding when and how to make certain throws will come as he gains more experience in the NFL. The key will be for Richardson to learn from these mistakes and improve because of them.
Final Analysis
For a rookie quarterback who many considered raw, with some even saying he should sit instead of play, Richardson's debut was largely a success. He was poised and patient with the football, taking what the defense gave him and not forcing things. The arm talent and running ability are obvious, and Richardson gives the Colts a weapon at quarterback.
That being said, Richardson is still developing and will continue to develop all season long. Accuracy issues, decisions in the read option/RPO game, and the interception were his three biggest miscues of the afternoon. Live game reps and working with the Colts coaching staff should help correct that, and it will be interesting to see how he can improve next week.
The Colts will take on the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium for their Week 2 matchup. Richardson and fellow rookie C.J. Stroud will square off for the first time in the NFL, setting up what figures to be an AFC South rivalry that lasts for the next decade. Richardson will have to take what he learned in his debut and come out even stronger as he looks for his first win in the NFL.
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