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Sports Illustrated put together a list of 100 bold predictions for the 2023 season, and Indianapolis Colts rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson and head coach Shane Steichen were among those included.
Starting with Richardson, Sports Illustrated made a “bold prediction” that the Florida product would win the Offensive Rookie of the Year award with a bit of a caveat.
5. Anthony Richardson will win Offensive Rookie of the Year, but …
Bryce Young will lead all rookie passers in quarterback rating. If Richardson, who plays a more all-encompassing style of football than Young, plays an entire season, there is no way he won’t amass a more glamorous statistical profile than Young, who is more of a traditional pocket passer. That said, much like when Robert Griffin III and Andrew Luck entered the league in 2012, we may come away with an initial preference toward one quarterback while also recognizing the long-term value of another.
It’s very possible Richardson puts together a strong enough campaign on the ground to put him in the conversation for the award and if he’s further along as a passer than we expect to begin the season, there’s a chance he’s a solid underdog to keep an eye on.
As for Steichen, Sports Illustrated made the “bold prediction” that the first-year head coach would win a pretty big award leading a team that went 4-12-1 during the previous campaign.
10. The Colts’ Shane Steichen will win the Coach of the Year award
It’s easier to be considered for this award when you’re starting from a bad place. The Colts were one of the worst teams in the NFL last season and endured the optical hit of a Week 10 change to Jeff Saturday on the sidelines. During Saturday’s tenure, the Colts lost seven straight games and surrendered the biggest comeback loss in NFL history. This is a quick way of saying that the pump is primed for a turnaround.
Steichen is an interesting candidate to win the award, but it’s so early in the offseason that we have no idea how the Colts are actually going to perform in 2023.
Richardson, along with two other rookies, was included in another “bold prediction” but one that we may take a bit of exception to.
19. The single-game record for most times getting sacked (12) will be broken
Right now, the record is shared by Bert Jones, Warren Moon and Donovan McNabb. One of the non–Bryce Young rookie quarterbacks will carry that dubious distinction heading into the 2024 season. Anthony Richardson, Will Levis or C.J. Stroud … look out. You’re in for at least one very painful afternoon this season.
The reason we would take exception to this “bold prediction” is due to the fact that one of Richardson’s best qualities from college was his ability to avoid sacks. That’s not to say he won’t face a more difficult time doing so in the NFL, but his elusiveness in the pocket is one of his best traits.
Regardless, bold predictions are a fun exercise to see where the outlets view the range of outcomes for the Colts and their players.
Maybe we should check back to this article in January to see just how bold these predictions were.
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