Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson was thankful to be benched for the past two games in favor of backup Joe Flacco, he told reporters Wednesday.
"I feel like these past two weeks have opened my eyes and allowed me to take a deeper dive into myself and see what I'm made of," Richardson said, according to ESPN's Stephen Holder.
Coach Shane Steichen announced Wednesday that Richardson will return as the Colts' starter for the remainder of the season. The 22-year-old was benched for the past two games, losses to the Bills and Vikings.
"Just sitting on the sideline helped me to look and see the certain things I could correct about myself. I'm thankful for these past two weeks and I'm low-key glad they happened," Richardson added.
The second-year QB's struggled to spark the Colts' offense, throwing four touchdowns and seven interceptions in six games. Flacco threw two touchdowns and four interceptions in his past two starts.
Richardson said he's been focused on sacrificing for his teammates while he's been on the sideline.
"The guys ask me to do certain things, even if I don't feel like doing them, I gotta do it because it's sacrificing," he explained to The Athletics' James Boyd. "As a pro, you feel like, 'I'm doing my work, I'm getting it done, that's enough.' But it's never enough, especially not for vets. They feel like if they gotta do the extra work, you gotta do it, too."
Indianapolis is 4-6 and faces the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium on Sunday.
