After two weeks on the sidelines, Anthony Richardson will return behind center for the Colts' Week 7 tilt against the Miami Dolphins on Sunday at Lucas Oil Stadium.
"I'm just excited to play football again," Richardson said. "I'm going to take advantage of my opportunity."
Taking advantage of this opportunity means picking up where Richardson left off in Week 4. Before exiting the Colts' win over the Pittsburgh Steelers with an oblique injury, Richardson was "on fire," as head coach Shane Steichen said, completing three of four passes for 71 yards. After some uneven performances in Weeks 1-3, Richardson ripped throws with authority against the Steelers, offering a glimpse of the potential he and the Colts are working to tap into this season.
Now that he's back after a two-game absence, the Colts are confident Richardson can extrapolate what he did against Pittsburgh over an entire game. Coaches and teammates were pleased with the work Richardson put in behind the scenes to prepare for his eventual return and felt he would've been mentally ready to play if he were physically able over the last couple weeks.
"He was playing really good ball early in that game," offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter said. "Shoot, we're excited to watch him play really good ball again here soon hopefully. He's been putting in really good work. Good work leads to good play. That's the nature of this league. It's practice, it's meetings, it's work on an off day like today. That's what I've learned in the NFL at this level – to play good on Sunday, you've got to earn that Monday through Saturday and Anthony's doing that. He's putting in the work. I'm excited to see him get that to pay off for him on Sunday, hopefully here soon."
Richardson on Sunday will be challenged by a Dolphins defense that's had a little boom or bust to it through the early part of 2024 under first-year defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver.
Miami enters Week 7 allowing explosive passes (gains of 15 or more yards) at the third-highest rate in the NFL (16.8 percent), yet they lead the NFL with a pressure rate on 42 percent of opponent dropbacks. Weaver has leaned into simulated pressure looks designed to confuse opposing quarterbacks (four defenders rushing the quarterback, but often with linebackers/defensive linemen unexpectedly dropping into coverage) at the third-highest rate in the NFL, per Pro Football Focus; Miami's linebackers have generated pressure on 28.6 percent of their pass rushing snaps, also third-highest in the NFL.
Communication between Richardson and his offensive line will be key in identifying blitz looks and keeping him upright; Miami has allowed an explosive passing play on 23 percent of their defensive plays on which they haven't pressured the quarterback, the highest rate in the NFL.
"They've got great players," Steichen said. "They disguise pretty well. They move around pretty quick. They fly to the ball. So, we've got to make sure we execute our part and just take advantage of the opportunity that they give us."
Against the run, the Dolphins' defense is allowing 4.7 yards per carry – 23rd in the NFL – largely fueled by giving up 3.9 yards after contact per rush, the highest rate in the NFL.
When the Dolphins have the ball
With starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (concussion) on injured reserve, the Dolphins will start backup Tyler Huntley for the third time this year. Miami signed Huntley off the Baltimore Ravens' practice squad on Sept. 16, two weeks later, his made his season debut in an ugly Monday night loss to the Tennessee Titans. He wasn't much better a week later, though the Dolphins topped the New England Patriots in a 15-10 rock fight.
Over his two starts, Huntley is 32/53 (60.4 percent) for 209 yards (5.5 yards/attempt) with no touchdowns, one interception, a passer rating of 67.3 and 11 carries for 47 yards with a rushing score. Star wide receivers Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle have combined for 18 catches and 164 yards with Huntley throwing them the ball.
The Colts aren't reading anything into those numbers, though. For starters: They're catching Miami after its bye week, which could be a prime opportunity for head coach Mike McDaniel to find solutions for Huntley and his speedy, explosive offense.
"I think that helps, right? Obviously, without having your starter in – a guy that has played a couple games, just honing in on the details of that offense," Steichen said. "(Huntley's) a guy that can make plays. He runs around, he can make plays with his feet, he can make plays scrambling too. So, to get that bye week under his belt I think will be beneficial for him."
Additionally, the Colts can lean on some perspective from safety Julian Blackmon, a college teammate of Huntley's at Utah who cautions the Dolphins' quarterback is much better than his numbers may suggest.
"He's a good quarterback," Blackmon said. "He's more of an extender – he can extend plays. He's really good when he can get the ball out of his hands quick, but he can also extend plays. He's one of those guys where you gotta just be on it everywhere, whether it's rush lanes or pass coverage, we all gotta be sound.
"... You can't read into it – realizing what they've done isn't what they could do against us. They're coming off a bye, and at quarterback, whether they had 10 percent of their offense in or not, going into this week, we can expect that he has been able to comprehend some things that Tua was doing. We just gotta expect they can come out with things we were seeing previously before Tua got hurt."
The Dolphins are also tracking to have their full stable of lightning-fast running backs available for the first time since Week 1, with De'Von Achane (7.8 yards/attempt, eight touchdowns in 2023) likely returning from a concussion and Raheem Mostert (1,012 yards, 18 touchdowns in 2023) appearing in his third game this season. Miami also added rookie Jaylen Wright, who ran a 4.38-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine, in this year's NFL Draft.
There's speed everywhere on this Dolphins team, and no matter how things have looked over the first few weeks of the season, the Colts' defense knows if they aren't disciplined, Miami's offense can turn a three-yard gain into a touchdown from anywhere on the field.
"I think Mike (McDaniel) does a hell of a job scheming that stuff up," Steichen said. "So we've got to play like we talked about last week – it's fundamentals, it's details. We've got to be physical and we've got to tackle for sure."
