The Jacksonville Jaguars saw a rival bench their starting quarterback.

With Will Levis’ status up in the air with the Tennessee Titans, the Indianapolis Colts beat them to the punch to become the first team in the division to bench their starting quarterback, with Anthony Richardson officially being benched for Joe Flacco Tuesday.

Richardson was benched after just 10 career starts, a mandate that has been hampered by injuries, inaccuracies and inconsistencies. Now, the Colts will turn to the elder Flacco in hopes of turning around their 4-4 season. Flacco is 1-1 as a starter this year, losing 37-34 to the Jaguars in Week 5 and beating the Tennessee Titans the following week.

Richardson ranks near the bottom of the NFL’s quarterbacks in accuracy, EPA/play and turnovers this season, although his benching could also be a result of him being removed from the Game of the Week 8 against the Houston Texans due to fatigue – a decision that apparently saw Richardson receive criticism from head coach Shane Steichen and the Colts locker room.

The longest-tenured player on the Colts roster, center Ryan Kelly, said Monday he discussed the move with Richardson.

“I think he knows that’s not the level he needs to play at and the rest of the team holds him up to it,” Kelly said. “I’ll leave it at that with the conversation we had. I’m sure he’ll take some criticism for that, and rightly so, right? It’s a harsh look, but it also gives everything for his team.”

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