Colts’ Anthony Richardson Explains Why He Took Himself Out of Game vs Texans

The Indianapolis Colts lost to the Houston Texans with a final score of 23-20. The Colts are now 4-4 on the season and experienced a rather confusing situation with their starting quarterback in the loss.

More news: NFL News: Week 8 Early Game Score Roundup

Anthony Richardson took himself out of the game in the third quarter, which could have been the deciding factor as to why the Colts could not pull off the win. The young quarterback had apparently been dealing with an exhaustion issue and had to remove himself.

Now, Richardson has explained exactly what happened.

When speaking to reporters about the odd situation, Richardson said, “Tired, I ain’t gonna lie. That was a lot of running right there that I did … So, I just told Shane (Steichen) I needed a break right there.”

Richardson pulling himself out of the game might have been due to his being tired from running, but it’s a situation that might look bad to his teammates and more. Longtime and legendary Colts punter, Pat McAfee called out Richardson the moment it happened.

McAfee stated in a post on X, “I had never seen an NFL QB tap out while still being healthy until watching Anthony Richardson. The QB is your franchise. The message it sends is loud and influential.”

Richardson had apparently tapped his helmet signaling that he could not continue and had to be subbed out. Backup quarterback Joe Flacco would step in.

The young quarterback stated that he was having trouble breathing. Oddly enough, Richardson only rushed six times for 45 yards. He was not doing well through the air, posting 10-for-32 attempts for 175 yards, one touchdown, and one interception.

Richardson chose to pull himself out for one play, and Flacco came in. However, he returned immediately after. McAfee may have a point in that Richardson pulling himself might appear as if he is not fighting, but the young signal-caller might have also needed some oxygen.

Either way, the situation is certainly a rarity and one that could come back in a very negative way towards Richardson.

More news: Cowboys’ RB Questionable After Falling Ill When Arriving at Stadium

Richardson has been a bit up-and-down this season and has also been dealing with injuries. He often puts himself in danger when going on tough runs to pick up first downs and more.

With the way that he took himself out from running too much, this could be possibly boiled down to a conditioning issue. Either way, it’s an odd situation regardless of the reasoning behind it.

For more on the Colts, head to Newsweek Sports.