The Colts' decision to bench Anthony Richardson blew up in their face during their Week 9 loss to the Vikings

The Indianapolis Colts were flexed into primetime for their Week 9 matchup with the Minnesota Vikings, and they fell on their face with the entire world watching. They made a bold decision to bench Anthony Richardson ahead of Week 9, and it's safe to say that choice didn't lead to the level of success they were […]

Destin Adams — NFL News Writer
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Nov 3, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Indianapolis Colts quarterback Joe Flacco (15) looks on before the game against the Minnesota Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium.
Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

The Indianapolis Colts were flexed into primetime for their Week 9 matchup with the Minnesota Vikings, and they fell on their face with the entire world watching. 

They made a bold decision to bench Anthony Richardson ahead of Week 9, and it's safe to say that choice didn't lead to the level of success they were hoping for. 

Embarrassing offensive performance, even with the QB who gives the team the "best chance to win games" 

The Colts made the controversial decision to bench their 2023 first-round, Anthony Richardson, ahead of Week 9. And gave the starting quarterback job to 39-year-old veteran Joe Flacco. The reason they gave to anyone who would listen was the fact that they believed Flacco "gives the team the best chance to win football games." If you make that type of bold statement, you better be able to back it up. Instead, their offense looked worse than ever and flat-out failed the team in Week 9.

They scored only three points on the night, and even that field goal was gifted to them after an interception from Nick Cross. Flacco missed multiple routine passes and took unneeded risks by throwing into crowded windows. He made similar mistakes that Richardson scrutinized, and, according to the team, that is why he was benched. The Colts' run game going from dynamic to nonexistent is inexcusable. This has been the case in all three of Flacco's starts this season.

Let's call a spade a spade. The Colts made a rash decision because the national media crucified Richartdson's tapping out on 3rd and goal against the Texans. And they now have two routes forward: Admit they made a mistake and go back to Richardson, or dig their heels in and continue to put this terrible offensive product on the field. But hey, on the bright side, Flacco completed over 50% of his passes. 

Stellar night from the Colts' defense 

The stellar play from their defense today makes the Colts' terrible offensive performance even worse. They finished Week 9 with three turnovers and four sacks. They held the Vikings to just two field goal attempts in the first half, both of which were missed. The offense's inability to sustain drives led to the Vikings dominating the time of possession game with 36:54 minutes compared to the Colts only having the ball for 23:06 minutes.

When DeForest Buckner is healthy, this Colts defensive line and pass rush is elite compared to being below average at best without him. This game was also easily the best all-around performance we've seen from the Colts' LB crew. The weakest link for the defense today was, undoubtedly, the secondary, but when you face Justin Jefferson, you are in for a long night. I thought Jaylon Jones and Samuel Womack, for the most part, did their jobs well, but the pass-offs in coverage to the safeties killed the team as it has all year long.

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