Anthony Richardson’s rookie season is over, but many would argue that he is still in the rookie learning curve of his career. As such, especially in the early part of the season, the Indianapolis Colts quarterback could be in store for some growing pains.
That said, some rookies manage to put together a flash or two before the light fully turns on.
Will Richardson flash or wish to flush the tape by Monday?
Here’s a look at three bold predictions for Richardson against the Houston Texans in Week 1.
Anthony Richardson will have under 150 passing yards
Richardson wasn’t picked for his arm. The Colts youngster might be as close of a specimen to Cam Newton as the league has seen yet. Newton wasn’t known for his arm, either. However, facing a veteran Texans squad, Richardson won’t be productive through the air.
Of course, this might alarm some fans not locked in on his style of play. However, there will be no need to worry about Richardson in this arena just yet considering his youth and style of play.
He will have two rushing touchdowns
Where Richardson will come up short, he will make up the difference in rushing touchdowns. One rushing touchdown will be the result of Richardson running over a cornerback in space to get into the endzone, creating one of the highlight plays of the week. The other touchdown will be the result of the quarterback diving over the offensive line in the Colts debut of this year’s secret weapon: the quarterback sneak.
The performance will be eye-opening to show just what power he can display once he gets some more games under his belt. At this point, Richardson is still in his NFL infancy, but when it all gets put together, it could be a sight to behold.
Anthony Richardson will throw one interception
For everything that Richardson will do above average with his frame and his legs, his arm will return him to the mean. This will come in the form of a costly interception that could seal the game. Either way, it ends his time on the field and ends up as his final play of the day.
It won’t be an interception that kills a final come-from-behind drive, but it will give the Texans one more shot to either seal the win or win the game. Either way, the Texans get the final driver seat due to Richardson’s error.
There will be games in the future in which Anthony Richardson will steal a win from the defense, but this week, he will not.
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