How did Anthony Richardson respond to getting his job back? He turned in his best game as a pro.
Richardson led a 70-yard, two-minute drive, scoring the game-winning touchdown with 46 seconds remaining in the Indianapolis Colts' stirring 28-27 win over the New York Jets on Sunday.
He completed 20 of 30 passes for 272 yards, one TD and no interceptions, along with two rushing scores.
It was quite the bounceback after Richardson had been benched after a home loss to the Texans in Week 8. The news of Richardson regaining his job from Joe Flacco wasn’t even made public until last Wednesday.
Sunday also crossed off two big benchmarks: Richardson’s first fourth-quarter comeback and game-winning drive in the NFL, doing it opposite a future Hall of Fame quarterback in the Colts’ 28-27 victory that kept them in the playoff hunt.
“I was thinking about that,” Richardson said. “That’s pretty cool, especially to do it against the Jets and Aaron Rodgers. I’ve been watching him since I was a kid. So, it’s a blessing to be able to go against a legend.”
The Jets took a 24-16 lead early in the fourth quarter, but Richardson drove the Colts 70 yards, hitting Josh Downs for a 10-yard score. They missed the two-point try, and a Jets field goal gave them a 27-22 lead with 2:41 left.
Richardson and the Colts struck again with a 70-yard drive capped by his 4-yard run into the end zone.
“Man, it was an automatic QB run right there, and I just told myself, ‘I’m getting in this end zone regardless of what happens,’ ” he said. “So, I just tried to find a way to get in there.”
Colts head coach Shane Steichen -- the man who benched Richardson earlier this season -- expressed his pride in his embattled quarterback.
“I just (told him), ‘Phenomenal job, man. Keep it going. Keep preparing the right way every week, man. You keep doing what you’re doing -- man, it’s gonna be special,’ ” Steichen said.
Richardson admitted that his emotions briefly got the best of him after the go-ahead score.
“The emotions were definitely at an all-time high,” he said. “I knew we scored and we had already talked on the sideline about going for two, but I was so geeked up that we scored and I was over there celebrating.”
Even with the two-point try failing, the Jets couldn’t complete the comeback in the waning seconds.
Richardson wasn’t perfect, losing one of his two fumbles, but he carried the offense for stretches with Jonathan Taylor mostly bottled up and Michael Pittman Jr. playing through back pain. On the final drive, Richardson got the Colts going with shot plays to Alec Pierce and Downs and gradually wore the Jets down for a big victory.
“It’s a blessing that we had the opportunity in that last drive,” Richardson said, thanking his teammates for making plays for him. “Shoutout to A.P. for running and trusting me for making that happen. Shoutout to Josh for turning his head and getting the ball in his hands and the O-line, great protection all day. So, this is a great victory for us.”