Indianapolis Colts rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson officially made his debut in the 31-21 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 1. Even though they didn’t pull out a win, Richardson made some history.
In what was a very promising debut, Richardson completed 24-of-37 passes for 223 yards, one touchdown, one interception and a 79.0 passer rating. He also took 10 carries for 40 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown.
Buy Colts TicketsAt 21 years and 111 days old, Richardson became the youngest player in NFL history to record a passing touchdown and a rushing touchdown in the same game.
Anthony Richardson today:
– 223 passing yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
– 40 rushing yards, 1 TDRichardson became the youngest player in NFL history with a passing and rushing TD in the same game. Tons of promise for Indy’s QB. pic.twitter.com/KfEGKyblKE
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) September 11, 2023
On top of that, Richardson also made some history by becoming the first rookie in NFL history to record at least 200 passing yards, 40 rushing yards, one passing touchdown and one rushing touchdown in a debut.
Anthony Richardson in his NFL debut:
— 223 PASS YDS
— 1 PASS TD
— 40 RUSH YDS (led team)
— 1 RUSH TD1st rookie in NFL history with 200+ PASS YDS, 40+ RUSH YDS, 1 PASS TD and 1 RUSH TD in their debut. pic.twitter.com/tWI4MohGvt
— StatMuse NFL (@statmusenfl) September 10, 2023
The offense was pretty volatile throughout the game, but there were enough flashes to prove Richardson is further ahead in his development than we may have thought back in April when he was selected with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft.
The interception he threw in the fourth quarter was a poor one. He stared down his target and failed to put enough touch on the throw, giving Tyson Campbell a chance to make an impact play.
But he also proved that he was not overwhelmed by an NFL defense in his debut.
Despite the loss, it was a very encouraging outing for the rookie quarterback, who will look to continue his development against the Houston Texans in Week 2.
