Anthony Richardson is making the headlines for the wrong reasons. Soon after his pinky finger injury at the preseason opener against the Ravens, the blame game kicked off. He had missed nearly 17 of the possible 34 games last season, and the recent scratch doesn’t look good. Not just fans, NFL experts and analysts have also taken to criticizing the QB. One such is a former QB who has experience playing in the pro league for more than a decade. He recently dropped another bold take.
Well, it’s a bit difficult to say what happened. Some took issue with the coaching staff. Tight end Tyler Warren may have been able to stop the rusher, David Ojabo, or D.J. Gidden could have done the job. As difficult as it might be, fans haven’t stopped dissecting the issue.
Former Super Bowl-winning QB Kurt Warner recently made another comment on X. Calling out the coaching staff, a fan argued, “Both LBs can blitz” theres one on each side, thats what youre not understanding. You slide protection to the side in which a blitz is overloading. You dont slide just to slide lmao.” In response, Warner had a strong message to shut the debate down. He clarified how QB ended up getting sacked and injured.
“Yes you do… you slide if protection is called to slide… 6 guys in the box, OL has to take 4 down and 1 of LBers, in this case they had LBer to left so line slides left, expect for RT OT! Rt OT blocks man on unless his LBer blitzes and then he takes most dangerous, which leads to a squeeze here and DE free!” Warner wrote. The debate has barely stopped on social media. The Super Bowl champion also seemingly claimed that the QB should have been careful and quickly made the decision. “AR has to see this and dish to the RB or TE to the right,” he said.
Yes you do… you slide if protection is called to slide… 6 guys in box, OL has to take 4 down and 1 of LBers, in this case they had LBer to left so line slides left, expect for RT OT! Rt OT blocks man on unless his LBer blitzes and then he takes most dangerous, which leads to a… https://t.co/QM15iOgG3x
— Kurt Warner (@kurt13warner) August 8, 2025
Unfortunately, Richardson went down without even seeing who sacked him. Well, Warner isn’t the only one who has made the claim. Michael Irvin had the same issue. Has the debate ended? Perhaps not, it will continue until he makes a strong point. Richardson has struggled with injuries and inconsistent play since entering the league. Now, he finds himself under a sharper microscope now.
Anthony Richardson talks about the game after the injury
The injury occurred on just the second drive of the game. Later, the head coach Shane Steichen confirmed that Richardson is considered day-to-day. His status will be updated every day. Before the injury, Richardson had shown some promise, completing 2 of 3 passes for 21 yards and leading the Colts to a field goal on their opening drive.
The unblocked edge was a protection breakdown that proved costly, cutting Richardson’s night short just as it was beginning.
The timing couldn’t be worse for a player trying to solidify his role as QB1. Speaking of his game, he said, “I feel like I was doing decent out there, besides that one play right there. But everything happens for a reason. Still got next game, so I’m not too worried about it,” Richardson told Mark Maske.
Daniel Jones took over after Richardson’s departure, earlier than planned. The Colts had originally scheduled Jones to start in their second preseason game against the Packers. He finished 10 of 21 for 144 yards, with no touchdowns or interceptions, and was also sacked once.
Well, this injury adds another line to Richardson’s growing list of injuries. Since entering the league as the No. 4 overall pick in 2023, the former Florida Gator has missed time with shoulder, back, foot, and hip issues. He sat out 13 games in his rookie year due to a shoulder injury and battled multiple ailments throughout 2024, leading to both missed games and a benching. If healthy, Richardson could get extended reps next week, but that’s a big “if” as for now.
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