Anthony Richardson Named Colts' Week 1 Starting QB Over Gardner Minshew

The Indianapolis Colts aren't going to play things slow with Anthony Richardson.

Head coach Shane Steichen announced Tuesday the 21-year-old rookie will be the team's starting quarterback in Week 1 of the regular season against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Speaking to reporters about the decision, Richardson admitted he was "shocked" but noted he's been putting in work and other quarterbacks on the roster have been working with him to grow his game.

The competition between Richardson and Gardner Minshew II seemed to be favoring the first-year signal-caller. He was given the start in Indianapolis' preseason opener Saturday against the Buffalo Bills.

Richardson played the first three offensive series against the Bills. He was shaky in spots, notably on Isaiah McKenzie's interception following what appeared to be a busted RPO, but never looked overwhelmed.

The Colts had a good drive on Richardson's final series. They went 83 yards on 14 plays but came away without any points when Matt Gay missed a 28-yard field goal.

Earlier in that drive, Richardson dropped a terrific pass into Alec Pierce's hands that would have gone for a 34-yard touchdown if Pierce had been able to hold on to the ball.

Overall, Richardson went 7-of-12 for 67 yards and one interception. Steichen didn't give him a lot of chances to use his running ability.

The Florida alum had just two carries for seven yards, with five coming on an option when he escaped the clutches of Greg Rousseau behind the line of scrimmage and ran through Kaiir Elam before going out of bounds.

Even though Minshew, who went 6-of-6 for 72 yards against the Bills, has experience in Steichen's system after spending the past two seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles, there's no reason to hold Richardson back.

The Colts clearly value Richardson highly after making him the No. 4 overall pick. He needs game reps after attempting just 393 passes in three seasons at Florida.

Richardson will get his first test in a real NFL game against the reigning AFC South champion Jaguars at Lucas Oil Stadium on Sept. 10 at 1 p.m. ET.