Against the NFL’s best defense, Anthony Richardson took the opening kickoff and drove the Colts 70 yards to take a 7-0 lead. On the next series, he again marched Indianapolis right down the field before the big quarterback took a big hit and left with a shoulder injury.
Enter ageless Joe Flacco, at 39 years and 257 days old. Two plays later, the Colts (2-2) took a 14-0 lead en route to a 27-24 win over the Steelers (3-1).
“It’s not ideal when you’re trotting out onto the field, obviously, when your guy goes down,” Flacco told Aditi Kinkhabwala from CBS on the field after the game. “But every time you get a chance to go out there, it’s a blessing and I was definitely very fortunate.”
But fortunate is a word the Colts can call themselves because they have Flacco, who played the final 48 minutes after the team declared Richardson out. In relief, the steady veteran completed 16 of 28 attempts for 168 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions.
Richardson, who turned 22 in May, told CBS before the game that Flacco was cooler than the youngster thought. The old man disagreed.
“Listen, he told me his mom is eight days older than I am so there’s no chance in the world that he thinks I’m cool,” Flacco told Kinkhabwala.
In cool fashion, Flacco marked his 189th NFL game, officially playing for a fifth franchise after leading the Browns to the playoffs last season. And on Sunday, after leading the Colts to a 24-10 advantage on a 15-yard touchdown pass to Drew Ogletree early in the fourth quarter, his most important pass came on the next possession. Flacco’s third-and-7 completion to Josh Downs moved Indianapolis into Matt Gay’s field goal range, and the kicker wound up nailing a 35-yarder to make it 27-17 with just over six minutes remaining.
Then, after Justin Fields found Pat Freiermuth for an 8-yard touchdown to bring the Steelers within a field goal at 27-24, Flacco wasn’t on the same page with Adonai Mitchell and gave the ball back with 2:39 remaining. But Flacco’s defense rose to the occasion to preserve the win and his kids were in the stands to see it.
“This is the first game they’ve come to this year, and dad’s on the field. I’d look up there and find them. I’m sure they’ll have a bunch of critiques for me.”