Can a healthy Anthony Richardson help the Colts ‘eclipse’ last year’s record?

A healthy Richardson is in the works for the Colts. Will he be enough to move the team forward?

Thousands of people from across the country are flooding into the Hoosier state to catch a glimpse of a rare total solar eclipse. It is an event that doesn’t occur often and even less so across the United States. They are almost as rare as an Indianapolis Colts’ division title… The Colts are looking to stop that streak and change their fortunes. To accomplish this, they are turning to Anthony Richardson to play out of this world by leaning on his alien-like physical traits. Will it be enough to supersede last year’s win total?

Coming off a 4-12-1 season in 2022, the Colts exceeded the expectations of many by going 9-8 and coming within a play or two of capturing the AFC South division title. The record alone shows they performed better. How they did it speaks even higher to this achievement. Going down early and often, the Colts turned to Gardner Minshew to carry the load. With Richardson permanently on the shelf, Minshew found himself as the full-time starter. Better as a spot starter than full time man, Minshew stepped up to the plate and kept the season from being a total loss.

If Minshew can drag this team to a winning record, there is serious hope that the Colts can be even better in 2024 behind Richardson and his rocket arm. There was a debate amongst fans as to who should start the season between the two quarterbacks as some preferred to have Richardson sit and learn from the bench before getting his chance. While it didn’t start that way, Richardson had plenty of time to absorb the game from the sideline and really commit to learning the playbook. While it was disappointing in 2023, it could be a blessing in disguise for years to come.

Anthony Richardson is a young and budding star already, even with the limited data we have on him at this point. For the Colts to achieve success this year and the years that follow, he has to go from budding to shining to super star. With most of the roster returning from last year’s club, Richardson is the “X-factor” that can make a true difference. If he can make the leap the Colts believe he can, then it’s to the moon. If he can’t, this season will leave a crater sized hole in the hearts of Colts fans.