INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Anthony Richardson missed an opportunity to play in front of his hometown fans two weeks ago when the Indianapolis Colts played at Jacksonville.
He’s hoping to enjoy a second chance to face a home-state team when the Miami Dolphins visit on Sunday.
Richardson may not have a final answer until pregame warmups, but all signs point to the second-year quarterback returning from his right hip injury this week.
“I’m able to move better, without any worries. Just confident in all of the movements, throwing the ball — confident with that,” Richardson said before Wednesday’s practice — his first full workout since departing the Week 4 game against Pittsburgh. “Just running around out there practicing, I’m confident with all that. So, I’d probably say that’s the biggest difference.”
That’s good news for the Colts (3-3), who are trying to stay within arm’s length of the Houston Texans (5-1) in the AFC South. It’s even better news for Richardson, whose health has increasingly come under scrutiny after missing 15 of his 23 NFL games and finishing only four of the eight he’s played in.
While there have been multiple questions about taking hits he could avoid, there has also been criticism about his low completion percentage, the number of interceptions he’s thrown, even whether he’s the best option to get Indy to the playoffs.
“You’ve just got to be smart. I mean of course, with injuries, you’re always liable to re-damage and get injured again, but sometimes you’ve just got to be like, ‘I don’t care’ because sometimes the team needs you,” Richardson said. “If you’re able to do it without any major setbacks, then why not try to do it?”
Fortunately for the Colts, if Richardson can’t help them win for the fourth time in five games, they can turn to 39-year-old Joe Flacco, who has led the Colts to wins in two of his three appearances.
The Dolphins (2-3) certainly understand. Since starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa went on injured reserve after suffering his latest concussion in a Week 2 loss at Buffalo, they have been trying to adapt.
Skylar Thompson started in Week 3 and Tyler Huntley started Miami’s last two games. The Dolphins are 1-2 in that stretch, scoring 30 total points. Even receiver Tyreek Hill has been held in check with 13 receptions for 132 yards.
But a week off could change everything.
“It was great to have the bye week when we did,” Huntley said. “It gave us time to get a break. I got time to move into my house, got settled in and was able to get into my playbook.”
Richardson’s gifts
Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel was a Richardson fan long before he got to the Colts.
“I was like, ‘Wow, I haven’t seen that, really big, fast and has a cannon,’” McDaniel said, referring to Richardson’s play in college at Florida. “You have to play team defense. Any time you have to play team defense to minimize the impact of a player, that speaks to the player.”
Miami safety Jevon Holland cited Richardson’s 60-yard TD pass to Alec Pierce in Week 1 as an example of what Richardson can do to stress defenses.
“A lot of the times, deep balls like that, you kind of just kick it,” Holland said. “It gets to a point where you’re already back there covering and the receiver keeps running and you’re kind of like, ‘All right, the quarterback is not going to throw it, he’s too far.’ But with a quarterback with a cannon like that, you’ve got to just keep on going back.”
Holding the line
If the Colts are without three-time Pro Bowl center Ryan Kelly (calf) again this week, they will likely start two rookies — fourth-round draft pick Tanor Bortolini and right guard Dalton Tucker, who was undrafted.
Both finished the last two games and Bortolini replaced Kelly the previous two weeks. Still, the Colts have only allowed 10 sacks.
“I go back to the work ethic they put in, how tight-knit that group is, the individual time they put in working on pass protection,” coach Shane Steichen said. “The footwork stuff, the hand placement, playing together, those guys take pride in that for sure — protecting the quarterback. They’ve been playing awesome.”
Run defense
Dolphins defensive tackle Calais Campbell said earlier this season the unit hasn’t played up to its “standard” stopping the run. Miami is ranked 18th in the league, allowing 125.8 yards rushing per game.
Those struggles have sometimes overshadowed an otherwise strong start for new defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver. And the Colts could pose a serious challenge for the run defense.
“(Steichen) is committed to running the ball,” Campbell said. “We have to be prepared for a lot of runs — that’s just how it goes. And it’s going to be definitely a big challenge for us, but we know if we play together where we’re capable of playing it, it’s a challenge we can live up to.”
