Anthony Richardson Film Review: Preseason Week 2

After suffering a pinkie injury vs. the Ravens, Anthony Richardson got a chance to make an impression last Saturday in the midst of this ongoing QB battle. Let’s breakdown some of the key plays from his performance.

The first attempt of the game came in a backed-up scenario on the -10. The Colts are running a Smash-Drive concept. Smash (Corner+Out) is the concept that Gould and Mitchell are running, while Drive (Shallow+Basic) is the concept Dulin and Ogletree are running. Without being in the meeting room, my best guess is this is a pure progression read. That means that Anthony Richardson would read the play by going 1-2-3-4 and moving off each WR once he confirmed they were not open.

Anthony Gould is running an “Omaha” route which is a 6 yard out route. As soon as that corner gets depth, Gould should be open on this play. In a backed-up scenario the goal is to get the ball out fast. No sacks, no turnovers.

Watch AR throw this ball on time and in rhythm, and most importantly, with accuracy.

The Colts on the next play ran a Glance RPO. What is that? An RPO, which I’m sure many people are familiar with, is a run-pass option where the QB has to the option to give the ball or throw the ball based on how the defense responds.

In this case it’s a very easy read for Anthony Richardson. The Packers move their DL pre-snap and drop their safety into the box to fit that C gap. That creates a 7 man box for 6 blockers which is an easy read for AR.

To me, this is definitely not an easy throw with the safety right in your face trying to swat the ball down, but I also think it’s accurate enough that it probably should be caught (I didn’t watch the game live so I’m just judging from the All-22. Someone feel free to correct me if the TV copy showed a different angle).

Next the Colts call a Naked-Keeper. These throws into the flat are ones that he’s struggled with in the past that looked easy for him this time around.

Next up is a double-move to AD Mitchell off of play action. Now it’s definitely defensive holding, but I’m going to guess this is not the footwork they want Richardson to play with. It’s definitely some poor pass protection from the guard (which makes it really hard to play QB), but watch his feet on this play. Instead of hitching and then throwing, he hitches then jumps backwards and resets his feet to make the throw. That split second made him late on the throw and gave the safety a chance to break on the ball well before he threw it.

Either way it’s defensive holding.

My favorite throw from the day was this corner route to Ogletree. The goal of this play is to get a Hi/Lo read on that corner to the bottom of the screen. If he gets depth on the out route then just take the easy yards to Dulin. But if he nails down on the out route (which corners often do) then there’s a chance to sneak the corner behind him. The corner does a nice job trying to play both routes, but AR lays a ball right where it had to be.

This is a concept called “Jose” (Hinge+ Seam). A hinge is that deep curl that’s usually 15 yards with a seam from the #2 WR.

AR sees that the safety in the middle of the field is on the far hash so he works the side away from that side. The throw is a fraction late, but it’s a nice completion for a chunk play and another accurate ball.

Ok, we can finish with the most talked about play from his performance last Saturday. First of all, this is an excellent throw. It’s one that we’ve seen AR make before. It was reminiscent of the ball to Alec Pierce in 2023 vs. the Rams. Pocket collapses, keeps his eyes downfield, and then puts the ball right where it’s supposed to in a tight window.

The Colts are running a pick play to one side of the formation and a Shock (Stick-Slot Fade-Locked Hitch) to another side of the formation.

I saw a lot of people try to make the argument that he needs to throw the rail on this play. But choosing to alert the slot fade with the safety that far to one side isn’t necessarily going rouge. It’s a good look to throw that route vs. 1 hi man. Whether that should be done from the -15 on 3rd&2 is another conversation, but if you’re going to take the shot at least it was completed. It’s also a preseason game, so nothing is based off of gameplan or personnel.

Overall, I’d say Anthony Richardson showed some encouraging things. I’d characterize it as a step in the right direction. The traits are undeniable. The arm talent down the field, the ability to create in a broken pocket, and obviously the athleticism in the QB run game.

But there’s also some frustrating elements to his game—the kind that drive coaches crazy.

The question will be whether or not Saturday’s performance was enough of a lasting impression to win the starting job. If you asked me, I think it was.