Ben Roethlisberger refuses to cut Anthony Richardson slack for tapping out of Texans game - "My mind is blown"

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson has been under fire. Since his team lost 23-20 to the Houston Texans, two different reasons have created controversy around him: his own individual performance, with just 10 completed passes out of 32 attempts, once again had analysts concerned about his development.

However, what created even more controversy seemed to be an innocuous play. After a long scramble late in the third quarter, Richardson went to the sideline, with backup quarterback Joe Flacco entering the field. It lasted one play only.

Late in the game, when asked whether there was any injury, Richardson said that he left the game because he felt tired and needed a break. Players such as center Ryan Kelly and head coach Shane Steichen were critical of his move, but it was not limited to the Colts: former quarterback Ben Roethlisberger also criticized his attitude.

"My Mind is blown by that, I don't even know what to think. You know what—you find a way. Yeah, you find a way, and I just don’t know what that says to your team. Like, I’m curious about the team—what is the team thinking? "Hold on, we’re tired too". We just blocked for you running around, or we just did this, or we did that, and you came out because you were tired? I’m not really sure. Again, I’m not there; I don’t know all the situation. I just can’t believe it happened and that a guy did that"

On Monday, Steichen said that he would evaluate who would start in Week 9, and a day later, it was confirmed that the second-year quarterback would be moved to the bench. Veteran quarterback Joe Flacco takes over. He has played in three games this season already, leading the team in two wins, including seven touchdowns and one interception.

Why was Anthony Richardson benched?

He has just four touchdowns and seven interceptions this season. He's also completing just 44.4% of his throws in 2024. The Colts have preached patience on his development, but sitting with a 4-4 record, Steichen felt the need to move to a more consistent quarterback.

On Monday, the head coach also said that Richardson leaving the game wouldn't be a factor in deciding the starter for Week 9. It certainly didn't help him.