EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY - SEPTEMBER 08: Harrison Smith #22 of the Minnesota Vikings celebrates with his teammates after intercepting the ball in the fourth quarter of the game at MetLife Stadium on September 08, 2024 in East Rutherford, New Jerse … ((Photo by Luke Hales/Getty Images))
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - The Minnesota Vikings host the Indianapolis Colts for Sunday Night Football at U.S. Bank Stadium, but they will not be facing Anthony Richardson.
According to multiple reports, the Colts are benching Richardson and will start Joe Flacco.
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Pete Bercich breaks down Vikings issues in 2-game skid
Sunday night on FOX 9 Sports Now, Pierre Noujaim chatted with Pete Bercich from the Vikings Radio Network to talk about what's going wrong in the team's 2-game losing streak.
Why it matters
Richardson was drafted No. 4 overall last year out of Florida. He started four games in his rookie season and threw for 577 yards and three touchdowns before suffering a shoulder injury, a sprained AC joint in his right shoulder, that required surgery. In six starts this year, Richardson was completing just 44% of his passes for 958 yards and four touchdowns, with seven interceptions.
Flacco has made two starts and played in four games this year, throwing for 716 yards, seven touchdowns and one interception. In five starts last year with the Cleveland Browns, Flacco went 4-1 and threw for more than 1,600 yards, 13 touchdowns and eight interceptions.
He said what?!
After last week’s loss to the Houston Texans, Richardson said publicly he exited the game on a third-and-goal play during the third quarter because he was "tired, I ain’t going to lie."
Flores defense has work to do
The Vikings’ defense under Brian Flores had been mostly dominant amid a 5-0 start. That has changed in two straight losses. Two weeks ago, Jared Goff went 22-of-25 for 280 yards, two touchdowns and led four scoring drives in a 31-29 win over the Vikings that came down to a last second field goal.
Last week on Thursday Night Football, Matthew Stafford threw for 279 yards and four touchdowns in a 30-20 Vikings loss. When the Vikings aren’t pressuring the quarterback, the secondary is getting picked apart.
Time will tell what adjustments Flores and the Vikings will make Sunday night, and if they can get Blake Cashman back from injury, that can only help.