Joe Flacco, Anthony Richardson on opposite ends of passer rating metric after Week 5

Joe Flacco, Anthony Richardson on opposite ends of passer rating metric after Week 5

It’s time that the Indianapolis Colts looked themselves in the mirror and asked themselves a tough question: Are they better off with Anthony Richardson or Joe Flacco at quarterback? One particular stat says that the answer is Flacco, and it isn’t even close.

Of the 32 quarterbacks with enough pass attempts to qualify, Joe Flacco ranks first in the NFL in passer rating, whereas former fourth overall pick Anthony Richardson ranks dead last, according to Pro Football Talk.

In the four games he started this year, Anthony Richardson completed 39 of his 77 passing attempts, throwing for 654 passing yards with three touchdowns and six interceptions. During that span, he had a passer rating of 60.2, the lowest in the league. Flacco stepped in for an injured Richardson in Week 4 and started Sunday against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Through two games (one start), Flacco has completed 49 of 70 attempts, throwing for 527 passing yards with five touchdowns and zero interceptions, including an NFL-best 115.6 passer rating.

Richardson has shown flashes of being a superstar but is still extremely raw. He will make throws that 99 percent of quarterbacks can’t make, but then he will miss the easy passes that 99 percent of quarterbacks do make.

While Flacco is outperforming Richardson and gives them a better chance to win now, Richardson is still the guy in Indianapolis. Developing him remains the Colts’ top priority. Whenever he does recover from his injury, he will be the expected starter. But with Flacco playing so well, the Colts may have second thoughts when the time comes.

Stepping up as the backup is nothing new to Joe Flacco, as he led the Cleveland Browns to the playoffs last season when their QB Deshaun Watson went down. Flacco has proved that he is still a starting-caliber player in the NFL, and I think some teams should give him a shot to compete for the starting role when free agency hits this spring.

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