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Overreaction to Colts surprise, Richardson injury

Posted on by Kennedy
Overreaction to Colts surprise, Richardson injury

INDIANAPOLIS – When an NFL team's starting quarterback has the best time to overreact. The Colts earned a 27-24 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers, led by reliever Joe Flacco.

Can the Colts continue to win without quarterback Anthony Richardson? Can the defense survive the frequency of injuries to key players?

Here are three overreactions from the Colts' Week 4 win.

Joe Flacco will remain undefeated as the Colts starter

Indianapolis Colts backup quarterback Joe Flacco was hired this offseason for exactly this scenario.

Starter Anthony Richardson's career has been marred by injuries, and the second-year signal-caller suffered another injury in the first quarter against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Richardson returned to the game for two plays before Flacco came back into the game and Richardson was ruled out for the rest of the game with a hip injury.

With Flacco, the offense worked on time and the veteran had surprisingly good chemistry with his receivers, even though he came into the game cold. Flacco finished the game 16-for-26 for 168 passing yards and 2 touchdowns.

Colts news: Joe Flacco replaces injured Anthony Richardson and leads Colts to victory over Steelers

The only downside to Richardson's loss is the impact on Jonathan Taylor and the rushing attack. Without Richardson as a threat to hold the ball on zone read plays, the defense can turn to Taylor. This will force the Colts to throw more passes, which may not be a bad thing.

The Colts' upcoming schedule is quite tight. They travel to the winless Jacksonville Jaguars next week before traveling to the winless Tennesse Titans the following week. Both games are winnable and I think the Colts will exercise caution and keep Richardson out for two games so Flacco can lead them to victory.

The Colts will have a top-10 passing attack with Flacco as QB

One of my previous overreactions was that Jonathan Taylor would lead the NFL in rushing. If Anthony Richardson has to sit out an extended period of time, this overreaction has no chance, but I'll move on to another overreaction – Joe Flacco will lead the Colts to a top-10 passing offense.

Moving the ball through the air is the Colts' best plan of attack. The deep shots to Alec Pierce are a thing of the past, but Flacco can keep the passing game in rhythm while distributing the ball to multiple receivers.

He already seems to be in a relationship with Josh Downs and Adonai Mitchell. Michael Pittman Jr. took the first pass of the game from Richardson 32 yards. His second catch, also by Richardson, went for 28 yards, but the rest of his first 100-yard receiving game came from Flacco. Flacco also showed a willingness to check more than Richardson, which should allow Taylor to make up for his lack of running through the air, assuming his ankle injury isn't serious.

Colts injury update: Colts RB Jonathan Taylor will not return against the Steelers due to an ankle injury

Dayo Odeyingbo will be the Colts' top pass rusher

The Colts' defensive line has been decimated by injuries. They went into Sunday's game against the Steelers without star defensive tackle DeForest Buckner and starting defensive end Kwity Paye. Defensive player Tyquan Lewis missed time against the Steelers due to injury and has battled injuries throughout his career.

The Colts are running out of healthy guys to put on the line, but one player who is emerging with more playing time is fourth-year defensive end Dayo Odeyingbo. Odeyingbo was considered a prospect when he was selected in the second round of the 2021 draft. He recorded just 0.5 sacks as a rookie before increasing to 5 and 8 sacks over the next two seasons, respectively.

Injuries have increased Odeyingbo's snap percentage from 29% in Week 1 to 32% in Week 2 and 62% last week. The former Vanderbilt defensive back responded with his best game of the season against the Steelers with 1.5 sacks and three tackles. At 6-6. Weighing in at 286 pounds, Odeyingbo has demonstrated the ability to overcome blocks with power and speed. Expect him to continue racking up sacks for the Colts.

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