Over the first half of the 2024 season, Anthony Richardson hit quite a few 40-foot three-pointers but missed some layups and shorter shots. To continue the basketball analogy, since we are in a hoops-crazed state, after all: Since returning from his two-week benching in Week 11, Richardson has developed a reliable mid-range game while hitting more of those high-percentage layups.
On Wednesday, Richardson alluded to this when asked where he feels he's improved the most over his first two years in the NFL.
"For one, try not to be Superman all the time," Richardson said. "I've always been able to create big plays and that's kind of been a thing of mine that I always wanted to do as a player. And understanding as a quarterback, sometimes you need those Superman plays. Sometimes you just have to be just a regular guy and go out there and just make it work for your teammates."
Richardson, at a nearly-impossible-to-tackle 6-foot-4 and 244 pounds and with one of the strongest arms in the league, is certainly not a regular guy. But over his last three games, he's done the "regular" stuff for a quarterback at or above NFL averages, as opposed to where he was before his benching. Some numbers from Pro Football Focus:
| Range | Weeks 1-8 completion% | Weeks 11-13 completion% | NFL average completion% |
|---|---|---|---|
| Behind line of scrimmage | 85.7% | 87.5% | 89.8% |
| Short (1-10 yards), over middle | 76.2% | 62.5% | 77.8% |
| Short, outside numbers | 41.7% | 85.7% | 75.7% |
| Intermediate (10-20 yards), over middle | 36.8% | 63.6% | 62.1% |
| Intermediate, outside numbers | 50% | 57.1% | 51.3% |
| Deep (20+ yards), over middle) | 50% | 0% (0/4) | 41.2% |
| Deep, outside numbers | 20% | 23.1% | 33.5% |
Richardson's completion percentage has risen in all but one short/intermediate area since returning from his benching, and there is a caveat there. On short throws over the middle, Richardson is 10/16, but three of those incompletions were tagged by Pro Football Focus as drops. If those passes were caught, his completion percentage would rise to 81.3 percent.
(Also, PFF designated two of Richardson's four deep/middle incompletions as drops.)
"He's more comfortable," wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. said. "I think he settles into the game quickly with the game plan that we have set up. I feel like it gets him settled in and gives him time to really adjust to it. And then he's just been playing well, too. So credit him for all the work that he's put into it."
This is, granted, a small sample size – just 33 completions on 57 pass attempts. But the numbers back up the eye test, which has shown Richardson confidently hitting shorter layups and assertively driving intermediate throws both over the middle and outside the numbers.
And that growth has been the product of the strides Richardson has made in how he prepares for games, offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter said – which was a major focus for the young quarterback during his demotion.
"The more you dive in during the week, the more you're able to anticipate (a defense's) movement, maybe," Cooter said. "When you can anticipate their movement, now you're able to sort of deliver that thing a little bit more on time and a little bit more to the right place. I think a lot of times in this league, the success that you have on Sunday is earned sort of Monday to Saturday, and it's no different with the quarterback. Just because you watch a pass thrown in the game on TV or in person, there's a lot that goes into that pass from an understanding, from a timing, from a practice rep standpoint. We're sure putting the work in on all those areas around here. We've been harping on it for a few weeks in front of you guys, letting you know that gosh, we're putting good work in. Anthony's out there putting good work in. It is paying off in these games, and we got to keep that going so we keep that improvement going. But yeah, that's sort of how I see it."
The upshot here is the Colts are averaging 5.6 plays per drive over their last three games, up from 5.0 plays per drive in the games Richardson started prior to his benching (taking out the Steelers game, in which Richardson played just two possessions, that number was 4.8 plays per drive, tied for the lowest average in the NFL).
"It keeps us on the field," Richardson said. "It allows us to move the ball and go get down the field and put up some points – whether it's a field goal or a touchdown. So, I've definitely been appreciative of that. My guys helping me out, and also coach Shane (Steichen) giving me some easier things to go out there and just manage and just play football."
The other part here is the explosive plays are still part of Richardson's arsenal. Opposing defenses have to account for Richardson uncorking a 60-yard bomb at any moment – or the 22-year-old pulling the ball and running downhill at a linebacker or defensive back.
But as the Colts turn their focus to a do-or-die four-game stretch, starting Sunday against a stout Denver Broncos defense at Empower Field at Mile High, they'll do so confident Richardson can be Superman or Clark Kent – and will know when to put on his cape and when to be, as he said, just that regular guy.
