The Anthony Richardson era began on Sunday for the Indianapolis Colts with a 31-21 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars. It was a good learning experience for the No. 4 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, and one of those lessons came from opposing quarterback Trevor Lawrence.
Lawrence was seen having some words of encouragement for Richardson after the game. And what exactly was he saying?
Protect yourself, because this isn’t college anymore.
Richardson ran the ball 10 times for 40 yards on Sunday, including a two-yard touchdown run early in the second quarter. He didn’t exactly show much willingness to slide on any of those runs and took some big hits. One of the biggest hits came late in the fourth quarter when he was knocked out of the game on a run down to the three-yard line. He left the game with a knee bruise while also appearing to take a big hit to the head.
He was down on the field for a few moments before being helped off the field.
Veteran backup Gardner Minshew finished the game by taking the final three snaps.
Richardson entered the NFL as one of the most physically imposing quarterbacks to enter the NFL in years. His combination of arm strength, size (6’4, 244 pounds) and speed is the type of stuff teams dream of. He is also fearless with the football in his hands, perhaps because he’s used to playing at a level where he was the best athlete on the field most weeks.
As Lawrence rightfully pointed out, that is not going to be the case in the NFL and those defenders are not going to miss an opportunity to deliver a crushing hit on a quarterback any chance they get.
It might go against Richardson’s mindset, but he has to learn to slide and not take as many hits as he did on Sunday. The Colts have too much invested in him and are going to rely on him too much for that to happen.
Richardson went 24-for-37 passing for 223 yards, a touchdown and an interception in his NFL debut.