With two games left to play, the Indianapolis Colts' playoff aspirations remain alive.
So too are their hopes that their quarterback, Anthony Richardson, will be able to suit up for their Week 17 date with the New York Giants. Coach Shane Steichen declined to rule out Richardson, who is dealing with back and foot ailments, telling reporters Friday, "We'll see how the next 48 hours go."
Indy officially listed the starting QB as questionable to play against New York.
Richardson did not participate in practice during the week. Steichen added Richardson's back issue is the more troublesome of the two at this point.
Richardson has dealt with a number of health-related issues this season, missing two games after suffering a hip injury in Indianapolis' Week 4 win over Pittsburgh. Joe Flacco replaced him, throwing the Colts to victories in both that game and a meeting with the Titans two weeks later, showing enough to convince Steichen to bench Richardson in Weeks 9 and 10 for the veteran.
When Flacco's results fell short of the mark in his second stint as Colts starter, Steichen turned back to Richardson. The second-year quarterback has continued to struggle with accuracy but has used his dual-threat abilities to help the Colts win three of his last five starts.
If Richardson cannot go, Flacco will start. The Giants are coming off a 34-7 loss to the Atlanta Falcons in which they struggled to compete in the second half of the blowout defeat, suggesting they might not present the greatest challenge to these Colts, who must win out to keep their playoff hopes alive.
Then again, anything is possible in this league. With this in mind, Steichen is waiting until the last moment to make a determination on Richardson.
