With a playoff spot on the line, the Indianapolis Colts may be forced to turn to Joe Flacco in Week 17.
Second-year quarterback Anthony Richardson has not been able to practice yet this week while he deals with back and foot injuries. On Friday, Indianapolis designated their starter as ‘questionable’ to play in the Colts’ Week 17 matchup with the New York Giants.
When reporters asked Colts head coach Shane Steichen if Richardson could have been a limited participant in practice, Steichen said the 22-year-old ‘was just sore all week,’ so the team decided to play it safe.
At 7-8, the Colts still have a chance to make the playoffs as the AFC’s No. 7 seed with two wins in their last two games and some help from the Miami Dolphins and the final two teams the Denver Broncos play: the Cincinnati Bengals and Kansas City Chiefs.
Should Richardson have to miss Week 17’s clash with the Giants, Indianapolis would turn to Flacco, their 39-year-old veteran, to keep its playoff hopes alive.
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What happened to Anthony Richardson?
It’s unclear exactly when Richardson suffered the back and foot injuries that have kept him out of the Colts’ practice sessions this week. Steichen didn’t offer more information about them when asked, other than stating that the back injury was more severe.
Indianapolis did not practice on Wednesday since it was Christmas, but Richardson was listed as ‘DNP’ with the back and foot issues on the estimated injury report the Colts put out.
Anthony Richardson injury updates
The Colts designated their starting quarterback as ‘questionable’ for Sunday’s game against the Giants after he missed a second consecutive day of practice.
Richardson did show up to the start of Friday’s practice session, but he wasn’t in uniform. Instead, it was Flacco who took the first-team reps for the second day in a row.
How long is Anthony Richardson out?
The Colts have not yet ruled out Richardson for their Week 17 clash with the Giants, nor have they listed him as doubtful. With Indianapolis still mathematically alive in the playoff race, the team will hope its young starter will be good to go on Sunday.
However, the Colts could be eliminated from the playoffs before they even kick off on Sunday. If the Chargers win their game against the Patriots and the Broncos win theirs against the Bengals, Indianapolis would be knocked out of the wild-card race.
In that scenario, it’s likely the Colts would keep Richardson out of their Week 17 game to avoid aggravating any health issues ahead of the offseason.
This story will be updated with more information.
