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 has already managed to miss 17 of the possible 34 games since 2023, 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. There’s one on each side; that’s what you’re not understanding. You slide protection to the side in which a blitz is overloading. You don’t 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, except 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.

Unfortunately, Richardson went down without even seeing who hit him… And that’s becoming a theme. Not just from Kurt Warner. But Michael Irvin also jumped in with some hard truths. The Hall of Famer posted a photo of the young QB on Instagram, captioning it, “Anthony Richardson has to SEE it SOONER and then he can THROW it sooner!!! You are in a QB battle.” Harsh? Maybe. But fair. This preseason snap was supposed to be his chance to pull ahead of Daniel Jones in the QB race. Instead, it only added fuel to the skepticism around him.

Has the debate ended? Not even close. Richardson’s brief NFL career has already been marred by injuries and bouts of erratic play. And now, with critics circling and every snap dissected, the pressure is only intensifying. Until he proves he can read the field quicker and stay healthy, these questions… And the QB battle… Aren’t going anywhere.

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 against the Ravens. He completed 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.