The Denver Broncos will host the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday in a thrilling Week 15 showdown in Denver at Empower Field at Mile High.
Both starting quarterbacks, Bo Nix and Anthony Richardson, have successfully demonstrated their impressive skills this year. They will now face off in an exciting matchup that will determine their playoff chances.
Considering both players’ strengths and weaknesses, Peyton Manning discussed their journeys$$› this year ahead of the marquee matchup.
Peyton Manning Weighs In on Anthony Richardson’s Style of Play
Richardson has had a rocky start to his career, throwing for 2,088 yards and 10 touchdowns while rushing 95 times for 519 yards and eight touchdowns in his 13 career starts. This is Richardson’s second year as the Colts’ quarterback, taking a similar path to Peyton Manning as a top pick in the NFL Draft for Indianapolis.
Richardson was benched for two games earlier this year by third-year head coach Shane Steichen after a heavily criticized performance in Week 8 against the Houston Texans, which included him wanting to come out of the game to take a “breather.”
The two-game benching seemingly helped Richardson’s play as he has shown improvement since his return under center, which Manning agrees with.
“It’s a marathon, not a sprint. The goal is for Anthony to be the quarterback for a long time,” Manning said. “Let’s look back at that and say, ‘Look how far we’ve come.'”
“He learned from it,” he said. “You can’t ever take being the starting quarterback for granted,” Manning said about Richardson’s benching.
The NFL Hall of Famer continued, talking about the difference between sitting to start a young QB’s career versus starting right away.
“How do you argue with Patrick Mahomes sitting behind Alex Smith for a year? Or Aaron Rodgers, or Jordan Love or even Eli [Manning] for those nine games,” Manning said, naming quarterbacks, who didn’t start immediately. “But for me, it was beneficial to be in there right away.”
Manning spoke in detail about the importance of consistently getting reps, even in the fourth quarters of games.
“I learned something in those fourth quarters. Sometimes it was learning how not to throw a fourth interception; we were 3-13 my rookie year and then 13-3 the next year. No way that happens if I don’t play all 16 games.”
Manning also shared that it’s important for a quarterback to have play-calling abilities as well, a quality that he sees in both Denver’s Bo Nix and Richardson.
The two-time Super Bowl champ opted for the “neutral” way out when asked to choose between his two teams ahead of their exciting matchup.