Dating back to this offseason, everyone knew that Anthony Richardson was a freak of nature; something his combine numbers attested to. However, I don’t think anyone expected this kind of performance from Richardson so soon. Unfortunately, the franchise QB left early versus Houston after sustaining a concussion while scoring his second rushing TD of the day. According to Ian Rapoport, Richardson is still yet to practice this week indicating that he’ll miss some time. Last year, the Miami Dolphins received backlash for how they handled Tua Tagovailoa’s concussions. Does this mean that the Colts will wait longer than normal for him to fully heal? The answer, unfortunately, is possibly. So, what does this mean for Anthony Richardson’s Offensive Rookie of the Year hopes?
OROY Type of Play
Richardson was arguably the most athletic QB prospect ever. Now, thanks to Shane Steichen, he’s translating well to the NFL. Through six quarters in the NFL, Richardson has combined for 354 total yards, 3 rushing TDs, a passing TD, and an INT. It’s production like this that has allowed for the Colts to compete against the Jaguars in Week 1 and set them up to win versus Houston in Week 2.
Since he was drafted, Richardson has been a top choice for offensive rookie of the year (OROY). Going into Week 3, he comes in ranked second with +293 odds and Bijan Robinson ranked first with +183 odds. If he misses only this week, there’s more than enough time for Richardson to claim the top spot. If he misses two weeks, this’ll make things more difficult but not impossible. Bijan Robinson is having a nice year so far, but with how much the offense revolves around quarterbacks, Richardson is already in a position to make a statement for the award on every play. Nevertheless, Robinson is set to be the workhorse for his offense. The Falcons have an offense that features Kyle Pitts, Drake London, and Tyler Allgeier near the goal line. Still, Bijan Robinson is going to be the catalyst for the offense as it drives down the field. He’s a threat both in-between the tackles and out of the backfield. He’s the chain that keeps all the moving parts operating smoothly and cohesively as one; quite the role for a rookie running back.
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