Colts' Anthony Richardson Says Benching 'Let Me Relax a Little Bit' After Jets Win

Luke Hales/ After a rough start to the season, Anthony Richardson spent a few weeks on the bench as Joe Flacco took over as the starting quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts.

Richardson was given a second chance to be the team's starter on Sunday, and he made the most of it, leading Indianapolis to a win over the New York Jets. After the win, he said getting benched gave him an opportunity to evaluate his play and come back stronger.

"It kind of just let me relax a little bit," Richardson said, per ESPN's Stephen Holder . "It just allowed me to take a step back and just clean up some things that I had to clean up. And that was really my focus, making sure when I did get the opportunity again, making sure I was at the best of my ability and I was doing the right thing for the team."

Richardson had his best game of the season thus far, throwing for 272 passing yards and a touchdown in the 28-27 win. He also had 32 yards and a pair of touchdowns on the ground. He lost one fumble but did an otherwise good job of taking care of the ball, something that he's struggled with this year.

Through seven games, Richardson has thrown seven interceptions compared to his five touchdowns. If he can continue limiting turnovers, he should have no problem retaining his starting role.

Richardson, who played just four games his rookie year due to injuries, hasn't had the start to his NFL career that he hoped for. Luckily for both him and the Colts, he's just 22 years old and has plenty of time to continue developing.