In a much anticipated preseason game, Anthony Richardson started the entire first half against the Eagles after being sidelined in game two. While his statistics are not eye-opening, only completing 6 out of 17 attempts for 78 yards, he displayed great poise and athletic ability inside and outside the pocket.

For this article, I am not going to go through each series but will highlight some key takeaways in the development and growth of Anthony Richardson.

Anthony Richardson’s poise in the pocket

One thing that has surprised me the most is how poised Richardson is in the pocket. Throughout the game, it was evident that he was looking to throw first and then run. Even when the pressure got to him, he still kept his eyes downfield and had good awareness in the pocket to set his feet. In moments when there was nothing downfield, we were graced with the athletic ability of Richardson outside the pocket.

Anthony Richardson on the money 🎯 @GVOaant#INDvsPHI on Prime Video
Also available on #NFLPlus https://t.co/624TrfDUF6 pic.twitter.com/R5kqzA1z37

— NFL (@NFL) August 25, 2023

One of the best completions of the night. Richardson looked very comfortable in the pocket on this play, knew exactly where he wanted to go, and threw an absolute dart to Kylen Granson on the outside.

Sheesh what a throw by Anthony Richardson. Looks like he sees the blitz indicator, calls an audible, and just rips an outside throw. pic.twitter.com/6X61KYJbSm

— Ted Nguyen (@FB_FilmAnalysis) August 25, 2023

Anthony Richardson’s speed on the edge

One thing that we knew for certain about Richardson was that he is fast, but I didn’t realize he was this fast. On two occasions, Richardson displayed Lamar Jackson like speed to get around defenders on the edge. One huge difference from last season to this season is that we have a quarterback who can escape sacks and make positive plays.

3rd and 10 scramble for Anthony Richardson

gain of 12

Pace + Rushing = Fantasy Points, even if AR makes a bunch of mistakes pic.twitter.com/jtMkBZmCjh

— Josh Norris (@JoshNorris) August 25, 2023

No QB was better at not allowing pressures to turn into sacks than Anthony Richardson in the 2023 class

an outstanding trait

this is exceptional work to gain positive yards pic.twitter.com/nnCvunSsNu

— Josh Norris (@JoshNorris) August 25, 2023

These plays were on the same drive that would end in a FG. Ultimately, though, it is going to be tough for defenses to contain Richardson and with the Colts utilizing the play action and RPO game, this offense might surprise some people.

Anthony Richardson’s lack of connection with his top receivers

This is definitely on the negative side of things, but one area that was very prevalent and contributed to Richardson’s low completion percentage was his lack of connection with Pittman and Pierce. Both receivers are on the top of the depth chart and are expected to produce big for this offense. Unfortunately for Richardson, the connection just was not there.

Pittman managed to make two catches on five targets. On the other three incompletions, Richardson was either high or off-target. For Pierce, he had three targets and no catches. Two of those incompletions were deep shots that were off the mark and one was over the middle in which Pierce made an awkward attempt at the ball. This is not to say that this will be a theme moving forward, but it is a bit concerning to see that there is not a lot of connection with his top receivers right now.

As many experts will agree, the stats on Richardson are not indicative of what he actually produced. Richardson played very well yet again in a preseason game. He displayed his mobility, arm strength, and accuracy in the pocket and he demonstrated that he is ready to lead this football team.

Every Anthony Richardson drop back against the Eagles. #Colts pic.twitter.com/4d0UPA4Lgb

— ImBearingDown (@ImBearingDown) August 25, 2023

We’ll see Richardson play again on September 10th at home against the Jacksonville Jaguars.