FOXBOROUGH, Ma. – Whatever it takes.
That's what was going through Anthony Richardson's mind – one of the only things going through the 22-year-old quarterback's mind – as he led the Colts down the field on their final possession of Sunday's game against the New England Patriots.
They trailed 24-17 and, lined up at the two-yard line with 24 seconds left on the clock, it was now or never.
Whatever it takes.
The Colts had marched slowly down the field, willing their way to the end zone; the drive alternated between incompletions, short passes and shorter runs. It was slow-going, but it was going. And that's all that mattered.
Whatever it takes.
After Richardson and the offense made their way to the two-yard line, they stalled on second down and lost a yard on third down. Fourth-and-three, 17 seconds left.
The Colts ran a play they had gone over in practice time and time again, a crossing route that allowed wide receivers Alec Pierce and Michael Pittman Jr. both an opportunity to get open; all Richardson had to do was wait. So when he saw Pierce running to his left with a defender trailing far enough behind him, Richardson let it fly.
Pierce made the leaping grab, and the Colts sideline celebrated, witnessing their young quarterback lead yet another crucial late-game scoring drive. But they weren't done yet – they still trailed by one. When faced with the decision to go for the field goal to tie the game or a two-point conversion for the win, head coach Shane Steichen opted to go for the latter.
The play call gave Richardson the option to hand the ball off to Jonathan Taylor or run it in the end zone himself; it was up to him, and no one else.
After surveying the field in front of him, Richardson saw an opening, tucked the ball and ran with it. He collided with the scrum at the goal line, but simply put his head down and barreled across the line.
Whatever it takes.
The Colts went up 25-24, and after forcing the Patriots to attempt a last-second 68-yard field goal that was just short, left Gillette Stadium victorious. Richardson exited the field quietly, and while he didn't have a smile on his face like many of his other teammates, he carried an air of satisfaction and a little gleam in his eyes.
And the first thing he said when he walked up to the podium?
"Whatever it takes, man. Whatever it takes."
Richardson knew, on that final drive, that it was time for him to make plays and get his team the win. He'd done it before, in the Colts' Week 11 win over the New York Jets, and had the trust of his coaches and teammates that he could do it again.
But perhaps even more importantly, Richardson knew exactly how to approach it.
"Just playing football, one play at a time," Richardson explained. "Some of those plays didn't go the way we planned, it's all good. You've got to stick with it, each play, because we have plenty to work on, each and every moment, so just stick with it."
Richardson emphasized that approach to his teammates, making sure they knew the fight wasn't over because of one play. And it was that mindset that allowed Richardson (and the rest of the team, by association) to stay so calm throughout the 19-play, 80-yard drive.
Simply put, the quarterback has learned how to focus on what really matters when he's on the field: the current play.
So, in those final few seconds of the game, the two interceptions that Richardson had thrown earlier in the game didn't matter. The incompletions just minutes prior didn't matter. Even Richardson's second-quarter rushing touchdown and the 360-degree celebratory spike that followed didn't matter anymore.
Nothing mattered except making the next play work.
"I think I've been able to relax and stay calm a little bit more," he explained. "Try not to focus too much on the future and try not to focus too much on the past, take it day by day and try to get better each and every day."
And getting better every day starts with getting better every play.
So, Richardson waited until he saw Pierce pop open in the end zone before releasing a perfect pass. And on the two-point conversion he took the time to go through his reads before making a decision.
"I was reading the outside guys, but once I looked in the middle, I just decided I was gonna take it and put it in my hands and try to make a decision right there and try to make it work," Richardson said.
It worked.
