NFL Rumors: Anthony Richardson's Play Made Colts Benching 'Near-Inevitable Call'

Despite all the talk about Anthony Richardson's decision to sub himself out of a game for a play because he was tired, the feeling around the NFL is that his overall play this season is what led the Indianapolis Colts to make a quarterback change.

Per ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, opposing coaches who played the Colts this season said they were forced into a "near-inevitable call" to bench Richardson because of his struggles seeing the field.

Colts head coach Shane Steichen announced on Wednesday that Richardson was being benched in favor of Flacco, but he emphasized they still believe in the 22-year-old's ability to play at a high level in the NFL.

"It's a tough decision but I thought it was the best interest of our football team," Steichen said. "I feel like Joe gives us the best chance to win right now. With that being said, I'm not giving up on Anthony by any means, I'm really not. He's a young player with a ton of talent. He'll use this time to continue to develop and grow as a professional."

Richardson's decision in the moment to sub himself out for a play in the third quarter against the Houston Texans didn't generate any much buzz on its own. It was only afterward during his postgame press conference when he told reporters he did it because he was "tired" that it became a big story.

Steichen said on Monday he had a discussion with Richardson about his comments that he would keep private.

If Richardson had been playing well before his blunder, it might have been a story for a day and everyone would have moved on. It became easier to highlight the negatives from his performance this season after that one moment.

Richardson finished 10-of-32 for 175 yards with one touchdown and one interception against the Texans. He has completed 50 percent or fewer of his attempts in all five games that he has started and finished this season.

Of the 39 quarterbacks with at least 50 attempts this season, Richardson is the only one completing fewer than 58 percent of his passes. He is at 44.4 percent on 133 attempts with four touchdowns and seven interceptions.

The Colts will take on the Minnesota Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium on Sunday Night Football with Richardson backing up Flacco.