The highlight of the Colts opening preseason game was rookie QB Anthony Richardson. With only 13 career college starts under his belt, it was vital that the Colts allow Richardson to get meaningful snaps.

Richardson started the game and played in three series. The first series ended in an INT (which we’ll get into), the second series ended in a turnover on downs, and the third series ended in a missed FG attempt. At a glance, not a very good day for the offense, but there were several positives that I believe Colts fans should be encouraged about going into this season. With this article, I want to showcase some takeaways from Richardson’s debut

1). Anthony Richardson has a canon of an arm

This is no surprise to anyone as it was one reason why the Colts drafted him, but during Saturday’s game, that canon was displayed with absolute darts to his receivers. The juice that he gets on the football is very similar to Cam Newton’s throwing ability. He has such a fluid motion that looks absolutely effortless when he is in the pocket.

There were a couple of instances where the ball got away from Richardson and he aimed high, but all in all, it’s a good sign to see that he can put his foot in the ground and let it rip.

Much better throw & drive by Anthony Richardson!! Loosing up!! pic.twitter.com/BHMETy0YYI

— Van (@vanman_1000) August 12, 2023

2). Anthony Richardson showed a lot of poise

As mentioned, the opening drive for the Colts was short-lived by a bad interception by Richardson. Leading up to the INT, the Colts had a good start to the drive with a couple of short runs by Evan Hull and a couple of short passes to Isaiah McKenzie.

Buffalo with the early INT!

📱: Stream #INDvsBUF on NFL+ https://t.co/bBFpXevVUR pic.twitter.com/8bS0A8RKBw

— NFL (@NFL) August 12, 2023

On second and five, it looked like there was some miscommunication on the play as Richardson appears lost and ends up forcing the ball rather than throwing it away. This is definitely a learning moment for the rookie because with a minimal rush, the smart decision on a broken play is to throw it away, DON’T force it. Miscommunication happens all the time during games and bad plays can easily result from it. The issue is, how a QB respond after making a bad play.

After the Bills capitalized on the turnover, Richardson went right back to work with positive plays – A 5-yard rush and a 9-yard pass to Pittman on back-to-back plays. This drive would eventually stall as the Colts would call four straight run plays for only 9 yards. Nonetheless, it was clear that Richardson put that bad interception behind him and went on to make positive plays.

3). Anthony Richardson got better each series

As mentioned, the first series ended in a bad interception by Richardson, and the second series ended on downs in which the Colts took the ball out of Richardson’s hands. The third series, though, showcased some bright spots for Richardson. Starting from their own 7-yard line, Richardson would lead his team into the red zone before penalties stalled the drive.

Within this drive was the best throw of the game, but it’s one that won’t show up on the stat line as a positive. On first down, Richardson took a shot towards the end zone and threw a beautifully placed football right into Alec Pierce’s hands… Unfortunately, it was dropped.

This is a DOT from Anthony Richardson. Beautiful throw. AP has got to make that play.

pic.twitter.com/UxEMG4fAto

— Landon Oliver (@Landon3MR) August 12, 2023

Richardson also displayed the wheels and power by getting around the edge and trying to stay in bounds to get a few extra yards. This play also will not be displayed on the stat line as a positive because a holding penalty called it back.

This was called back, but Colts QB Anthony Richardson had a nice run to get the ball inside the five yard line.

The Colts are driving the ball. pic.twitter.com/MV1mmORQke

— Arye Pulli (@AryePulli) August 12, 2023

This is one of those NFL debuts, where one has to think, if only he had one more series. if Richardson had one more series, I think he would’ve put it in the end zone. He got better each series and the offense seemed to be jelling very well both in the run game and pass game.

There are certainly many positives to look forward to next week, but still a lot of things that Richardson has to work on. One thing for sure is his footwork and decision-making in the pocket when a play breaks down. Joel Erickson made a good observation about Richardson in that first series.

When Richardson's been rushed, it looks like he's just a half-step slow on setting his feet to get rid of the ball before the rush gets there.

First time he's faced an NFL rush without a red jersey, he doesn't have the reps to have that clock in his head yet.

— Joel A. Erickson (@JoelAErickson) August 12, 2023

I certainly do not disagree with this statement and it did look like as the game progressed, that Richardson settled down a bit. However, when he is playing against the Aaron Donalds and the Von Millers of the league, Richardson will need to be faster with decision making which can only be achieved with game time reps.