After pulling off a pleasant surprise of a fairly magical run last season with the Cleveland Browns, Joe Flacco is sort of at it again with the Indianapolis Colts. But as was the case with the Browns and Deshaun Watson, Flacco won't be the starting quarterback for long.
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Instead, Flacco has been filling in for injured second-year man Anthony Richardson with Indianapolis, with the Colts beating the Pittsburgh Steelers behind Flacco, then losing this past Sunday to the Jacksonville Jaguars (37-34). Flacco has looked good in both games.
But not enough to replace Richardson, coach Shane Steichen said.
"(Richardson) is our starting quarterback," Steichen told Kevin Bowen of 107.5 The Fan. "We are trying to win football games," Steichen said. "That's the bottom line. We are trying to win football games. Obviously, when Anthony is out there, he makes a lot of big plays for us. That's where it's at."
The Colts (2-3) expect to be in the chase for a playoff spot, and while they have a losing record, that's where they are today. Flacco has completed 49-of-70 passes for 527 yards and five touchdowns. He's been pretty dynamic for a guy who was sitting on his couch watching games with his family at this time last year.
Meanwhile, Richardson is 39-of-77 for 654 yards, three touchdowns, and six interceptions. He continues to show signs of being a franchise quarterback — at least, when he can stay healthy.
"Richardson was a limited participant in practice last week," wrote Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk. "Wednesday will bring word on how much he's doing at practice as the team moves toward their Week Six trip to Tennessee."
