The Colts organization decided to bench Richardson in favor of veteran Joe Flacco following a Week 8 loss in which Richardson took himself out for a game citing being “tired.”  According to Steichen the organization felt Flacco gave them a better chance of winning, however after back to back losses Steichen has re-evaluated the situation. Steichen mentioned in a Wednesday presser how Richardson has really stepped up in his development since the benching. Between the classroom, weight room and practice the team feels like the young QB is finally taking his development seriously. 

We have seen plenty of quarterbacks bounce back from losing their starting role, however rarely has a benching this early in one’s career lead to future stardom. The range of outcomes for Richardson could be anything from Mitch Trubisky (who had a higher completion percentage and better TD/INT ratio at a similar point in his career) to Richardson’s best comparable player Josh Allen. Be cautious chasing outliers, as even Allen showed better underlying metrics throwing to a worse receiver core. 

Lukasz Stec, @Lukasz_FF01