College Football

Anthony Richardson throws interception on first NFL drive in up-and-down Colts debut

Anthony Richardson made his NFL debut with the Colts on Saturday afternoon, and there were both highs and lows against the Bills.

Although Richardson was the fourth overall pick out of Florida in the 2023 NFL Draft, he only had 22 college games under his belt, 13 of which were starts.

He showed some of that inexperience in Buffalo, as he started off his NFL career on a sour note with an interception.

On the first possession on a second-and-6, Richardson hesitated in the pocket and impulsively threw a pass off his back foot and right into the hands of Bills cornerback Dane Jackson.

Gaining possession, the Bills took advantage and scored a rushing touchdown from James Cook.

Anthony Richardson looks to pass the ball during the first quarter of a preseason game against the Buffalo Bills.
Anthony Richardson looks to pass the ball during the first quarter of a preseason game against the Buffalo Bills. Getty Images

But with 3:15 left in the first quarter, the rookie flashed his promise as he placed a perfect downfield throw to Alec Pierce, who likely should have caught it, but missed the catch as it fell incomplete.

Outside of those two plays, the Colts mainly had Richardson focus on short passes as he finished 7-for-12 for 67 yards with a 39.2 passer rating after playing in all three offensive series in the first quarter before taking a seat.

Anthony Richardson runs the ball during against the Bills in a preseason game.
Anthony Richardson runs the ball during against the Bills in a preseason game. Getty Images

He also ran two times for seven yards.

In Richardson’s final 12 starts with Florida last season, he threw for 2,549 yards and 17 touchdowns with nine interceptions, along with 654 rushing yards.