But coach Shane Steichen didn’t seem able to revisit his much-debated decision, announcing after Indianapolis’ 21-13 loss to the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday night that Flacco will remain the Colts’ QB1.
“Right now, yes,” Steichen responded when asked if Flacco is still his starter.
Steichen’s decision came under scrutiny when he initiated the trade on Tuesday, and on Wednesday he told reporters that the decision was made because Flacco “gives us the best chance to win right now.”
Instead, the Colts fell to 4-5 and their offense appeared to take a step back, generating season lows in offensive points (six), yards (227) and first downs (13), struggling to find consistency. against the protection led by Brian Flores.
The Colts were particularly unproductive in the first half, producing only 92 yards of offense and 62 passing yards.
Indianapolis was 3 of 11 on third-down power for the game, with Flacco going 3 of 9 for 47 yards in those situations.
“You know coming here against a team like that is going to be tough,” Flacco mentioned. “But I don’t think you’d ever anticipate something like that.”
In all, Flacco completed 16 of his 27 passes for 179 yards with one interception, the result of a questionable call that allowed Vikings cornerback Byron Murphy Jr. to undercut Colts wide receiver Josh Downs on a drive. third chance irruption.
Steichen mentioned that Flacco “was fine.”
“Obviously, you’ve played in environments like this before,” the tutor mentioned. “But again, it all starts with myself… I have to keep analyzing what we’re doing offensively. We have eight [games] “We meet, and I have to analyze the scheme and see what we are doing and go from there.”
Richardson’s struggles have been well documented, particularly his 44.4% final touch rate and NFL-low 7 interceptions. But the Colts neglected the attributes the 22-year-old quarterback offers, including his poor deep throws and running ability.
Flacco on Sunday generated just two completions of more than 20 yards. His 7.7 wind yards per effort were the Colts’ lowest in a game this season. Explosive plays are a section in which Richardson excelled, with an NFL-high 12.3 wind yards per effort in 2024.
As for the run game, the Colts struggled to generate consistent luck against the Vikings’ fearless run defense. Richardson, a dual-threat quarterback, has given the Colts some spice on the field they may have neglected Sunday. Indianapolis finished with a season-low 68 rushing yards at Minneapolis, and running back Jonathan Taylor (48 yards) was even his lowest output of the season, a pace closer to speeding 105 yards in a loss to the Houston Texans.
The quarterback change “definitely changes the plays we run,” Indy receiver Alec Pierce said. “We are not doing as many [run-pass option] types of things.”
The offensive performance overshadowed a defensive surge by the Colts, who produced three handoffs, including a sack by Grover Stewart that was scooped up and returned for a landing by Kenny Moore II. He used to be the most useful TD in the game for the Colts.
