Rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson of the Indianapolis Colts now undergoes concussion protocol.
The Indianapolis Colts experienced a setback in their second game of the season when rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson was sidelined due to a head injury and a concussion. Richardson had self-reported the concussion, and the medical team assessed him for a potential brain injury. Gardner Minshew, the backup quarterback, took over for Richardson midway through the second quarter.
Without Richardson, the Colts managed to secure a victory against the Houston Texans by a 31-20 margin, improving their season record to 1-1. Richardson is a top pick from the 2023 NFL Draft, having been chosen fourth overall from the University of Florida. In his earlier appearance against the Jacksonville Jaguars, he had completed 24 of 31 passes, amassing 223 yards and one touchdown. Despite being sacked four times and throwing an interception, he also managed to rush for 40 yards and score a touchdown.
Richardson's alma mater wasn't on the Week 2 injury report, and he stepped on the field as starting quarterback against the Texans, who were trailing by 11 at the time. However, he sustained the head injury during the extra point after scoring a rushing touchdown halfway through the first quarter. He was unaware of the impending hit, having believed he was safe.
"I got hit hard," said Richardson. "I was jogging in, and the dude hit me, and I wasn't expecting that."
His teammate, Michael Pittman, Jr., noted the situation: "Tony just didn't see him. He thought he was home free. He caught a shot at the end, which I thought was unnecessary. But then he bounced up so fast."
After Richardson's third down run, he didn't feel himself perfectly and shared his condition with the medical staff, who promptly replaced him with Minshew.
"I feel like that's the most mature thing you can do as a professional athlete is to acknowledge, 'Hey, I'm not right and not going to help my team win,'" acknowledged Colts' tight end Kylen Granson.
Also stepping in as quarterback, Minshew closed out the season opener when Richardson sustained a bruised knee against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Minshew failed to complete two passes in the unsuccessful goal-line stand at the end of the game. On return in Week 2, he played for most part of the second and third quarter, totaling 19 completed passes out of 23 attempts, earning 171 yards and scoring one touchdown. He had two dashes for a total of three yards. An off-season addition to the Colts from the Philadelphia Eagles, Minshew was not happy about losing the starting role to Richardson but was still determined to mentor the rookie and support him.
"I'm excited to work, continue to get better, and figure out how to win some games around here," said Minshew.
Should Richardson not recover from the concussion and be unavailable for Week 3's matchup with the Baltimore Ravens, Minshew will start.
"I'll be ready," said Minshew. "Tony is the leader of this team. I was happy to be able to fill in and help when I could. But I'm going to continue to support him and help him as much as I can."
Minshew has a 24-start record in the NFL, with an 8-16 win-loss count. In his first season with the Jacksonville Jaguars, he displayed a standout performance as a rookie, going 6-6 in a starting role. However, since then, his performance has stagnated, with just two wins and ten losses in 18 starts.
The Colts were touted with a -7.5 point spread at the start of the match against the Ravens, but they failed to cover as initial bettors backed the Ravens and moved the spread to -8 points. The Colts didn't fare well in their previous match against the Jaguars, holding a 1-1 record for covering the point spread. They had been favored as a +3.5 home underdog in Week 1 and a road underdog with a +1 mark in Week 2.
Given the events of the season up to this point, future odds by DraftKings put the Colts at +275 for a spot in the playoffs and -370 for missing the playoffs for their third consecutive year. The Colts are currently in third place on the AFC South leaderboard behind the Jaguars (-145) and the Tennessee Titans (+240). Lastly, the Colts clock in at +10000 to win the AFC championship and +13000 for the esteemed Super Bowl win.
The Indianapolis Colts are currently embroiled in an acrimonious split with their running back Jonathan Taylor, who asked for a trade once negotations for a contract extension failed during the preseason. So far, the Colts have been unsuccessful in finding an appropriate trade partner for the running back, who right now is on the PUP list while he recovers from his off-season ankle surgery.
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Source: www.casino.org
