Indianapolis started Week Four of the NFL season by suffering a notable loss.
A few hours later, it earned a significant win.
Despite second-year Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson leaving the game in the first quarter with an apparent hip injury, Indianapolis held on to beat previously undefeated Pittsburgh (3-1), 27-24, behind backup Joe Flacco and a final defensive stand.
Richardson’s injury marred an otherwise dream start to the game for the Colts (2-2).
Richardson completed three of his first four passes for 71 yards and added 24 more rushing yards but was injured after being hit near the right hip on a 14-yard scramble downfield with 5:42 to play in the first quarter, Richardson immediately was seen reaching for the area and missed the next two plays before returning.
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But on his first play back, Richardson struggled to run to his left on first-and-goal just 6 yards from the end zone and immediately left the game again. The team initially ruled Richardson as questionable to return, but he was soon downgraded to out for the rest of the game.
The fourth overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft, Richardson’s brief NFL tenure has been marked by injuries, starting with a concussion in only his second career game. Shortly after he returned, he suffered a season-ending shoulder injury in October 2023 that required surgery.
Flacco completed 16 of his 26 passes, including two touchdowns, and didn’t turn the ball over in relief of Richardson. Pittsburgh is dealing with its own quarterback injuries. Starting for the fourth consecutive week in place of Russell Wilson, Steelers QB Justin Fields threw for 312 yards with a touchdown and ran for two touchdowns while rallying Pittsburgh from down by as many as 17 points in the first half.
The Steelers had the ball in the final minute with a chance to either tie or take the lead, but Fields’ final pass was incomplete on fourth down with 37 seconds left.
