The Indianapolis Colts were embarrassingly eliminated from playoff contention after allowing a two-win New York Giants team to score 45 points on Sunday.
The Colts were without starting quarterback Anthony Richardson, meaning backup Joe Flacco took the reigns. Flacco turned the ball over three times but still led the offense to a 33-point performance.
Colts head coach Shane Steichen said Richardson was forced to the sidelines due to back spams and soreness. Originally, Steichen said that Richardson was only dealing with soreness. That claim caught a ton of criticism from fans and media, forcing Steichen to further clarify the severity of Richardson’s injury.
Former head coach Chuck Pagano was one of the media members who criticized Richardson and the team for how they handled the situation.
(Via Chuck Pagano | WISH TV): “I mean if it is soreness, at this point, there isn’t anybody that’s 100%. Everybody is dealing with something. Everybody is playing through something right now… I’m confused [Anthony Calhoun]. Like you and everybody else, all Colts fans, I’m confused… Is this soreness? Is this something that he can play through? Or, does he have back spasms? There’s so many different reports coming out of that building right now it just leads to so much confusion… It’s not doing [Richardson] any favors.”