Joe Flacco will be the Colts' starting quarterback "going forward," head coach Shane Steichen said on Wednesday. Anthony Richardson will be the team's backup quarterback.

"Tough decision, but one I felt was in the best interest of our football team," Steichen said. "Feel that Joe gives us the best chance to win right now."

Flacco, at 39 years old, is in his 17th season in the NFL and has experience both as a starting quarterback and as a backup. Flacco was the starting quarterback for the Baltimore Ravens from 2008 to midway through the 2018 season. Flacco started the first eight games of the 2019 season for the Denver Broncos, and has since acted as a backup quarterback for a variety of teams including the Philadelphia Eagles and the Cleveland Browns.

Flacco signed a one-year deal with the Colts prior to the 2024 season.

"I've been doing this a long time," Flacco said Wednesday. "I'm just going to go out there and play my game and do the best I can to elevate everybody and give them confidence, and just do my thing like I have. I've already played a couple of games this year, so I think everybody knows what to expect and we can just roll right into it."

Flacco came into the Colts' Week 4 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers when Richardson sustained an oblique injury, and remained the Colts' starting quarterback for the following two weeks against the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Tennessee Titans. The Colts beat both Pittsburgh and Tennessee and lost to Jacksonville.

On the season, Flacco is 71-of-108 for 716 yards and seven touchdowns and one interception. His passer rating of 102.2 is currently the ninth-best in the league. Flacco's start against the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday will be his third start this season.

"It is a lot easier to prepare when you know you're the guy," Flacco said. "Even though you try to keep everything the same when you're coming off the bench, just mindset wise, there's something that changes just that little bit. And I think in terms of playing consistently after this (Week 9), I think it just kind of gives everybody clarity in the building and the guys on the team that they know what to expect."

"Joe's skillset, he's just on time, like on rhythm, he's a super vet guy," wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. said. "He sees everything. And I've said it, his age shows in a good way where he's just seen a lot of ball."

Through 16 seasons in the NFL, Flacco played in 188 games (185 starts), completing 4,004 passes for 43,936 yards and 245 touchdowns with 155 interceptions. He had a career passer rating of 84.2 entering the 2024 season. Flacco has played in 16 postseason contests, including Super Bowl XLVII, in which Flacco led the Ravens to victory and earned Super Bowl MVP for his efforts.

"We're trying to make the playoffs," Steichen said. "We're trying to make a push right now, going into November and December, and feel that Joe gives us the best chance to do that."

Wednesday's full practice report: