10 thoughts on Anthony Richardson's debut, Colts loss to Jaguars
10 thoughts on Anthony Richardson's debut, Colts loss to Jaguars
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INDIANAPOLIS - Ten thoughts on the Colts' loss to the Jaguars in the season opener at Lucas Oil Stadium:
1. Shane Steichen and Jim Bob Cooter had a clear plan to get Anthony Richardson comfortable and in some rhythm in this game, mixing in a steady stream of advantage throws and tunnel screens to receivers and tight ends as well as some half-field reads on roll-out plays that gave him the option to throw or scramble. If this looked like a college passing game at times, that's by design. They want to build off what he's done well before, and obviously that's a small sample after just 13 college starts. It limited the upside in the passing game, but it also limited the risk. I only saw one pass in the first three quarters where Richardson put the ball in harm's way.
Game recap:Anthony Richardson era begins with Colts loss to Jaguars
Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson (5) scrambles with the ball as Jacksonville Jaguars linebacker Foyesade Oluokun (23) looks to tackle Sunday, Sept. 10, 2023, during a game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
2. Once that script ran out in the second half, we got to see the less efficient version of Richardson that completed 53% of his passes at Florida. He wasn't seeing players break open quite as early as he needed to. On a couple different snaps, he had Josh Downs wide open underneath in the eye sight of his progression and overlooked to a different receiver. That's just what happens with a rookie, though, as the speed of the game is unlike anything they've seen before. He needs reps to speed up that mental clock and to get the ability to know before the snap who is likely to be left uncovered in situations like these.
That's why he's starting right now.
All in all, you'll take this from a 21-year-old rookie in his first start. Richardson finished 24 of 37 for 223 yards, one touchdown and one interception against a Jaguars secondary that lived in zone in order to maintain spacing and keep eyes on Richardson as a scrambler. They designed a game plan to limit the deep ball, and Richardson was steady enough underneath but just didn't receive any plays from teammates not named Michael Pittman Jr.
3. Richardson the runner was mostly as advertised, as he finished with 10 carries for 40 yards and a touchdown. He showed speed, balance, burst and the ability to finish through contact. Josh Allen did a great job keeping contain on him to limit the explosive opportunities around the edge. And the Jaguars were happy to force the ball out of his hands on run-pass-option and zone-read plays, showing a lot less respect for his skill players.
Injury:Colts rookie RB Evan Hull ruled out with knee injury
4. That was mostly a wise decision, as the Colts are running out of options that scare people at the skill positions. With Jelani Woods on injured reserve, the vertical upside isn't really there at tight end anymore, which changed the way the Jaguars needed to deploy their safeties. I counted just one real target for Alec Pierce or Pittman Jr. in the first half. Pittman Jr. made do on a 39-yard tunnel screen touchdown, which was a great play call to expand horizontally as the Jaguars were stacking the box and allowed Pittman Jr. to play like the running back he used to be, now against smaller defensive backs.
ESPN reported Sunday that the Colts made a push for Christian Watson in their Jonathan Taylor trade talks with the Packers, in addition to the widely reported ask of Jaylen Waddle from the Dolphins. That's a decent indication of where they think the playmaking in their receiving game is right now.
More:What do fans think about the Colts-Taylor dispute?
5. I feel pretty confident in saying the Colts will have a pretty vicious run defense this season when their main guys are healthy. Sunday featured so many of those cogs showing out, from Grover Stewart eating blockers to Zaire Franklin laying the wood to DeForest Buckner commanding double teams and still forcing redirections with his length and get-off to Samson Ebukam setting a much better edge than they got in the "LEO" spot with Yannick Ngakoue last season. If Julian Blackmon can replace enough of Rodney McLeod's presence in the strong safety role when he's in the box, this part of the team should remain a force.
6. The Jaguars got after it in the second half on the ground, but I feel that's a direct reaction to the three-and-outs the offense kept falling into. At one point in the second half, the Colts had four straight drives that lasted four plays or less.
Like they found out last season, it's just hard to play defense all the time, and that wear and tear shows up in handling double teams in the run game, setting hard edges and making tackles on first contact.
7. There's going to be some boom-or-bust to the Colts offense with Richardson, because he's a rookie developing as a passer and because his high-upside profile introduces some natural variance. The injuries in the tight end room take away some of the singles and doubles in the offense, too. But this is where Jonathan Taylor can really help this team out. The running backs had a whopping 15 carries for 25 yards. The longest run was seven yards by Deon Jackson, who gained seven yards on his other 11 carries.
Some of that was a struggle to run block, of course, but they just don't have a back who has a natural feel for running the ball with Taylor and Zack Moss out. Jackson is a converted receiver and Evan Hull is at his best in pass protection and in catching the ball, too. Moss practiced in limited fashion with his broken forearm this week, so they'll have a better option coming soon. But he's also one injury away at a brutal position from the backfield we saw Sunday being the group they need to win with over the next three weeks.
8. It's hard to say exactly what Taylor would have done on Sunday, but I feel confident he'd make a few tacklers miss and have a chance to tap into that 4.39-second 40-yard dash speed. You get one big run like that, and it eases life on the developing passing game. It also gains first downs and keeps that defense off the field. Running backs can be mostly irreplaceable, but the Colts don't have a sound enough system yet to operate that way, and the backs they have available don't look like quite enough to overcome it.
Defensive TD:Jaguars stop playing, Colts don't and DeForest Buckner scores
9. Why the Jaguars stayed so committed with that run game was hard to figure out. Their strength was in Trevor Lawrence, Calvin Ridley and Christian Kirk, and the Colts' weakness on defense is their young cornerbacks. It's going to be a work in progress all season, especially with second-round rookie JuJu Brents not able to play yet as he's been trying to get practice time after losing so many to hamstring and wrist injuries. Dallis Flowers and Darrell Baker Jr. both made some solid plays in coverage, but they'll leave a lot of plays out there against top-level receivers because of how little time they've had to develop at such a difficult position.
10. Outside of one rough sack in the third quarter in which he was beaten around the edge, Bernhard Raimann was hard to notice out there. That's the job of a the left tackle. The offensive line overall held in pretty well against a talented pass rush with Allen and No. 1 overall pick Travon Walker coming off the edges, though it struggled plenty in the run game. Raimann remains the key to the pass protection working, as his ability to hold his own will free up Quenton Nelson to play like an All-Pro, Ryan Kelly to help out Will Fries and Braden Smith to be the steady right tackle he's been outside of the first half of last season.
Injuries remain a terrifying likelihood for this group as they roll through 17 games this season, and that's where these thoughts could go up in smoke. But I don't think this loss was as much on the line as it was the lack of playmakers to help out a rookie quarterback.
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09-10-2023, 07:45 PM
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