Colts QB Anthony Richardson hopeful of returning in season finale against Jaguars

Updated Jan. 1, 2025 3:11 p.m. ET

Associated Press

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson said he was in such severe pain last week he struggled to walk.

The 22-year-old appears to be feeling much better this week — possibly even well enough to start Sunday's season finale against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

After missing last weekend's playoff-eliminating loss to the New York Giants, Richardson stood tall Wednesday, fielding questions for about six minutes while explaining he hopes to return this week.

“Definitely feeling a lot better," Richardson said. “Just lower back stuff. Last week was tough. I couldn't even stand up on Tuesday, was kind of crawling around the house. But you know I'm standing up.”

And yet coach Shane Steichen was still saying late last week that Richardson had been dealing with back soreness and still might play.

Richardson explained he's been dealing with back spasms since eighth grade and MRIs have shown he has disk issues, causing the pain intermittently.

The former Florida star also has struggled with injuries through his first two NFL seasons. A concussion and season-ending injury to his throwing shoulder limited him to just four starts as a rookie. He missed two games in October with an injured hip, was benched for two games in November after taking himself out of a game for one play because he was tired and then sat out last weekend, leaving him 8-7 as the starter.

The Colts opted to hold a walkthrough Wednesday and Steichen would not project whether Richardson would have participated in a full workout — had the Colts (7-9) held a regular practice.

Still, Colts players and Steichen remain hopeful Richardson will play this week even though their postseason fate has been sealed.

“We're hopeful," Steichen said. "He's working through his rehab and his treatment right now. So we'll see how this week progresses."

Richardson also wants to play and not just to prove those who have questioned both his consistency — he has a league-low completion rate of 47.7% with 12 interceptions and eight touchdowns — or his ability to stay healthy.

Instead, Richardson wants to show he can beat the Jags (4-12) and close the season with another victory.

“It's tough you know, especially watching us lose the way we did with everything that was on the line, on the table for us,” Richardson said. “It just matters how you fight back and how you respond to certain things.”

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