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If Anthony Richardson wants to be the starter again, he’s not getting any help from the NBC cameras.

Last week, the second-year Indianapolis Colts quarterback was benched in favor of seasoned veteran Joe Flacco. The move happened following a loss to the Houston Texans, during which Richardson tagged himself out for a play because he was “tired” and “out of breath.”

READ: Anthony Richardson Benched ‘Going Forward,’ Which Suggests Not A Short Time

Anthony Richardson has not lived up to his expectations in Indianapolis.

(Troy Taormina-Imagn Images)

So even though the 22-year-old wasn’t playing in the Colts’ Week 9 prime-time game against the Minnesota Vikings, Richardson still got some air time while NBC’s Sunday Night Football crew discussed that particular incident.

“There’s been a lot of noise about Richardson,” Mike Tirico said during the second quarter. “A lot of it stems from not just the inaccuracy, but also this play… when he asked out of the game, something you don’t see from quarterbacks that has been talked about all across the country this week.”

Cris Collinsworth added: “You can ‘tap out,’ if you will, at any position but quarterback. Because you’re the general. You’re the one everybody’s watching. And it looks like the general waved the white flag at least for one play. And that makes your offensive line look bad and gets the defense fired up. He learned it.”

And just as Collinsworth mentioned waving “the white flag,” the camera panned to Richardson. Right on cue, the “tired” QB let out a great big YAWN — possibly the most hilariously-timed yawn ever.

The Colts selected Richardson in the first round (No. 4 overall) of the 2023 NFL Draft with the expectation that he would be their quarterback of the future. But he played only three and a half games his rookie year before suffering a season-ending shoulder injury that required surgery.

In 2024, Richardson is completing just 44% of his passes (by far the worst in the NFL among starters) and has more interceptions (seven) than passing touchdowns (four). He’s also fumbled five times, although the team lost only one of them.

So if sleepy Anthony Richardson wants his job back, he’d better wake up soon. Because Flacco — who turns 40 in January — is clearly not a long-term solution. 

The 4-5 Colts host the Buffalo Bills on Sunday.