Takeaway-happy Bears defense turns its sights on Colts QB Anthony Richardson
Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson took the shotgun snap in Week 1, dropped back and slipped.
He steadied his back leg, took a shuffle step to his left, outside the left hash, and saw two Texans pass rushers push through blockers at his feet. A third closed on his left, so Richardson heaved a pass off the wrong foot.
The ball rocketed 65.3 yards through the air, the third-longest throw of the NFL Next Gen Stats era. It landed in receiver Alec Pierce’s hands at the 2-yard line, and he took one step into the end zone.
“It was amazing, to be honest,” Bears safety Jaquan Brisker said Thursday. “He was tripping, falling, threw that thing up and led the receiver to a touchdown.”
Brisker is daring him to do it again.
“I want him to throw it deep this week,” he said. “If he can, please throw my way. Regardless of [whether] it’s short or long, I want the opportunity.”
A Bears defense tied for fourth in the NFL in takeaways sees the opportunity in front of them Sunday in Indianapolis. One week after facing the increasingly incomparable C.J. Stroud, the Bears are eyeing Richardson, who is more of an enigma than any quarterback in the sport.
Richardson wasn’t a prolific college quarterback — he started only 13 games at Florida — but was drafted No. 4 overall last year on the merits of his otherworldly athleticism.
He played only four games as a rookie before hurting the A/C joint in his throwing shoulder and being shut down for the season. Even now, he has played only 274 career snaps — fewer than the Bears’ own Tyson Bagent.
When he has played, Richardson has showcased the ability to do the impossible — and, like many young quarterbacks, struggle with the basics.
No one has thrown more interceptions than Richardson’s four this season. His completion percentage of 55.5% since he entered the league last year is the worst among quarterbacks who have made at least six starts. His 165.5 passing yards per game, 77.9 passer rating and 3.6% interception percentage all rank in the bottom eight in the NFL during that time.
However, his 13.1 yards per completion is the second-most in the NFL, behind only the 49ers’ Brock Purdy.
“He’ll throw it past everybody — and they got guys that can go get it,” Bears cornerbacks coach Jon Hoke said.
He can run past everybody, too. Richardson had the fourth-fastest NFL Scouting Combine 40-yard dash of any quarterback since 2000. At Florida, he ran for touchdowns of 45, 60, 73, 80 and 81 yards.
In his NFL career, he’s averaged 38.2 rushing yards per game — trailing only Lamar Jackson and Justin Fields among quarterbacks who have played the last two years.
“What they desire to do with him is to utilize his arm, his size, his ability, his quickness, his ability to be a featured runner,” Bears defensive coordinator Eric Washington said. “We have to account for him.
“That’s tough defensively, when the quarterback is a second runner.”
The Colts will run read option plays — “It’s really college football this week for us,” Brisker said — with Richardson handing the ball to standout running back Jonathan Taylor or throwing off a play fake.
That’s a challenge the Bears’ defense didn’t have to worry about in either of the first two weeks.
If their defenders are as good as they claim to be, the Bears will be able to handle it.
“It’s really like any dual-threat college QB,” edge rusher Montez Sweat said. “He’s good on his feet and also has a pretty good arm, so we’ve got to be good in both dynamics.”