HOUSTON – Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson was not on the field late in the third quarter in a game in which his team trailed by two points and later lost.

Curiously, Richardson had to be on the sidelines not because of an injury, but because he was exhausted.

The second-year quarterback left the game after running around violently against the Houston Texans defense in the last two games. On a second-and-goal play from the Houston 23-yard line, Richardson shrugged off a potential sack from defensive tackle Folorunso Fatukasi before turning the field looking for a target. In the end, Richardson kept the ball and was eventually tackled by linebacker Jake Hansen to no avail.

Richardson slowly stood up and walked toward the nearby Colts sideline, tapping his helmet along the way. He immediately took a knee on the sideline.

“I was tired,” he said. “I won't lie. That was a lot of racing. I didn't think I was going to make it the next game, so I just told (Colts coach) Shane (Steichen) I just needed a break right there.

Richardson's exit from the game initially raised questions about whether he had sustained an injury. Early in the game, he suffered a blow that hit his left hand and was seen hunched over on the sideline. But the athletic trainers who examined him did not appear to be treating any injury and seemed satisfied that he was fine.

“He needed a breather,” Steichen said. “He ran three times in a row and it was third and long, so we wanted to give the ball away.”

Backup quarterback Joe Flacco came into the game and actually handed off to running back Jonathan Taylor on a third-and-goal in the 23rd minute. Taylor gained 5 yards, and the Colts settled for a 37-yard field goal that cut Houston's lead to 20-13. The Texans ultimately won 23:20.

The strange sequence of events will only intensify the discourse surrounding Richardson, whose years-long struggles have been a weekly challenge for the Colts. The fourth pick in the 2023 draft, Richardson has completed 44.4% of his pass attempts this season after going 10-for-32 for 175 yards on Sunday.

Sunday's crucial AFC South game – a win would have given the Colts a share of the division lead with Houston – instead became another referendum on Richardson's future with Indianapolis.

Richardson's skill players let him down repeatedly in the game, with running back Tyler Goodson sinking a perfect touchdown pass and a Michael Pittman Jr. penalty negating another would-be touchdown throw from Richardson. Richardson was pressured on 17 of his 32 dropbacks in the game, indicating some protection issues.

But the conversation will likely focus on Richardson's performance, despite his career-long 69-yard touchdown pass to receiver Josh Downs.

After showcasing his significant talent in the four games he played in 2023 before suffering a season-ending shoulder injury, Richardson arguably faced a regression in 2024. Richardson, for his part, dismissed that narrative.

“I feel like I’m a great passer,” he said. “I’ve been playing quarterback almost my whole life. I'm just a different quarterback than everyone else, so people will try to point out that I'm not as efficient as everyone else. But for me it's cool. “I run the ball a lot better than any other quarterback, but (better) than most quarterbacks.

Richardson had 45 rushing yards on six carries on Sunday, but only two of his rushes were designed runs. That pales in comparison to the seven he had last week in a win over the Miami Dolphins.

So what’s next for Richardson? The Colts have balked at the idea of ​​starting Flacco since Richardson returned after a two-game absence with an oblique injury. But the questions about Richardson are unlikely to subside.

“We continue to work through the process,” Steichen said. “It's a process. We keep working through it. We do it together. It's a team game. We work through these things and manage to figure it out.”