Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson is practically playing a different game than any other passer in the NFL.
Richardson’s completion percentage of 48.5 percent is awful. It’s not just last in the NFL this season, it’s the worst the NFL has seen in many years: The last quarterback who threw at least 150 passes and finished a season with a worse completion percentage than Richardson’s this year was Tim Tebow, who finished the 2011 season with a 46.5 percent completion percentage.
But when Richardson manages to complete a pass, he’s hitting deep balls downfield like no other player in the league. Richardson is averaging 15.6 yards per completion this season, more than two full yards ahead of No. 2 Lamar Jackson, who is averaging 13.4 yards per completion. The last quarterback who threw at least 150 passes and finished a season with a better yards per completion average than Richardson’s this year was Chris Chandler with the 1998 Falcons.
It’s no surprise that this is the quarterback Richardson has been because it’s consistent with the scouting reports on him when the Colts drafted him last year: He has a phenomenal arm and can throw deep balls like few other passers in football, but he hasn’t shown a consistent ability to command an NFL-style passing game.
The question facing the Colts is whether Richardson can keep hitting those deep balls but get a lot more consistent and accurate as a passer. If he can, the Colts could have something special. If he can’t, the Colts are going to find that an offense simply can’t function in today’s NFL with a sub-50 percent passer.
