Anthony Richardson gave the Colts a clean finish to Thursday’s joint practice, and Shane Steichen came away impressed.
With the Indianapolis offense working a two-minute drill against the Atlanta Falcons’ defense to close the session, Richardson was running the second-team unit while Daniel Jones handled the starters. Riley Leonard had taken most of Wednesday’s snaps, but Thursday’s late-period work belonged to Richardson.
The setup was tight: 1:05 on the clock, Indianapolis at its own 25-yard line, trailing by a point. Richardson delivered.
According to Jake Arthur of Roundtable Sports, he went 4-of-5 through the air on the drive. He also kept the series alive after Dalton Tucker sent a snap into chaos, corralling the ball and getting rid of it before a negative play could hit the ledger.
Then came the finish. With three seconds left and the ball moved into range, Richardson spiked it to stop the clock, and Spencer Shrader drilled a 52-yard field goal to win it.
That sequence left Steichen sounding encouraged about what he saw from Richardson.
"I was really pleased with Anthony in that two-minute drive right there to go down and kick that field goal," Steichen said, via Colts.com. "I thought he operated that two-minute drill perfectly."
Steichen added that both Richardson and Leonard have had their rough patches in camp, but each has also shown "flashes."
From the outside, the backup quarterback battle still looks unsettled. Richardson, though, has the edge of a stronger showing in last week’s preseason opener. On Saturday against Atlanta, it will be Leonard’s turn to start.
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