The Colts beat the Patriots 25-24 Sunday at Gillette Stadium.
That was one of the few things Anthony Richardson was thinking about as he led the Colts down the field on their final possession of Sunday’s game against the New England Patriots.
They were trailing 24-17 as they lined up at the two-yard line with 24 seconds left on the clock. It was now or never.
Whatever it takes.
The Colts had marched methodically down the field, determined to reach the end zone; the drive alternated between incompletions, short passes, and shorter runs. It was slow going, but it was moving. And it was all that mattered.
Whatever it takes.
Richardson and the offense reached the two-yard line, but stalled on second down and lost a yard on third down. Fourth-and-three with 17 seconds left.
The Colts ran a play they had practiced numerous times, a crossing route that allowed wide receivers Alec Pierce and Michael Pittman Jr. to come open; Richardson only had to wait. So when Richardson noticed Pierce sprinting to his left with a defender trailing far behind him, he let it fly.
Pierce made the leaping grab, and the Colts’ sideline cheered as their young quarterback led yet another vital late-game scoring drive. But they weren’t finished yet; they trailed by one. When confronted with the option of attempting a field goal to tie the game or a two-point conversion to win, head coach Shane Steichen chose the latter.
The play call offered Richardson the option of passing the ball to Jonathan Taylor or running it into the end zone himself; it was up to him and no one else.
After assessing the area in front of him, Richardson noticed an opportunity, tucked the ball, and took off running. He clashed with the scrum at the goal line, but instead lowered his head and barreled across.
Whatever it takes.
After forcing the Patriots to attempt a last-second 68-yard field goal that fell just short, the Colts won 25-24 at Gillette Stadium. Richardson exited the field silently, and while he didn’t smile like many of his teammates, he had a sense of accomplishment and a glimmer in his eyes.
And what was the first thing he said as he walked to the podium?
“Whatever it takes, dude. “Whatever it takes.”
On that final drive, Richardson knew he needed to make plays to help his team win. He had done it before, in the Colts’ Week 11 victory over the New York Jets, and his coaches and teammates believed he could do it again.
But, maybe more critically, Richardson knew just how to handle it.
“Just playing football, one play at a time,” Richardson explained. “Some of those plays did not go as planned, but that’s okay. You’ve got to persist with it, each play, because we have a lot to work on at all times, so just keep at it.”
Richardson reinforced that mentality to his players, ensuring they understood the struggle was not done after one play. And it was that mindset that enabled Richardson (and the rest of the squad, by extension) to remain so composed throughout the 19-play, 80-yard drive.
Simply simply, the quarterback has learned to focus on what is most important on the field: the current play.
So, in those final few seconds, Richardson’s two interceptions from earlier in the game were irrelevant. It didn’t matter that I hadn’t finished everything minutes before. Richardson’s second-quarter rushing touchdown and subsequent 360-degree celebratory spike were no longer relevant.
Nothing mattered more than making the next play work.
“I think I’ve been able to relax and stay calm a little bit more,” he told me. “Try not to focus too much on the future and try not to focus too much on the past, take it day by day and try to get better each and every day.”
And getting better every day starts with getting better every play.
So, Richardson waited until he saw Pierce pop open in the end zone before releasing a perfect pass. And on the two-point conversion he took the time to go through his reads before making a decision.
“I was reading the outside guys, but once I looked in the middle, I just decided I was gonna take it and put it in my hands and try to make a decision right there and try to make it work,” Richardson said.
It worked.
