Colts QB battle: How Daniel Jones and Anthony Richardson fared vs. Packers, who has edge right now?

The latest chapter of the Indianapolis Colts' quarterback battle between Anthony Richardson and Daniel Jones was written on Saturday. With the club taking on the Green Bay Packers in their second preseason exhibition game of the summer, we got another look at both signal callers as head coach Shane Steichen mulls which of the two he'll start when they host the Miami Dolphins in the Week 1 regular season opener.

Last week, the plan was derailed after Richardson was knocked out of the contest due to a dislocated pinky. Fast-forward a week, and Steichen's plan played out much smoother. Heading into the matchup, Jones was slated to start and play the opening two series, and Richardson would relieve him after that and take the field for the remainder of the first half. That's exactly how it unfolded at Lucas Oil Stadium, and both quarterbacks had their moments. 

As a general takeaway, I viewed Jones as having a slightly better afternoon, but hardly enough to close the book on this competition. That's especially true with Richardson arguably throwing the best ball of the game, albeit with an asterisk.

"Obviously, you've got a quarterback battle, you've got two first-round draft picks," Steichen said postgame, via NFL.com. "When they both came in, I made it very clear that this is gonna be a battle, and they're gonna compete for the job. Like I said, I'm gonna make the decision that I feel is best for the football team.

"I'm very close, I'll say that. I'm very close."

 Below, you can find our full takeaways of this next step in Indy's quarterback battle.

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Bryan DeArdo

How Daniel Jones performed

Daniel Jones

IND • QB • #17

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Preseason Week 2 stats: Completed seven of his 11 throws for 101 yards

The plan was always for Jones to get the start in the Colts' second preseason game, but he did get some extra run last week due to Richardson's injury. The former New York Giants first-round pick started the game by hitting Mo Alie-Cox for a 19-yard gain while rolling out to his right, but the drive stalled out after that. His second throw of the afternoon was hit at the line of scrimmage, and a botched snap then set up a third-and-13 situation. On the bobbled snap, Jones appeared to pull out a touch too early, which allowed the ball to hit the ground. Jones then missed a wide-open Tyler Warren, who broke free up the right sideline on a throw that would've kept the drive alive and moved the chains. 

While that wasn't the best start for Jones, he began heating up on his ensuing possession. He orchestrated an 11-play, 77-yard drive that ended in a field goal. He initially hit Anthony Gould on a 23-yard gain, but a penalty negated the play. He followed it up with a quick 9-yard gain to Michael Pittman Jr., but then missed Warren again. 

It was at this point, however, that Jones started to get in a groove. He completed his next four passes, including a 22-yard gain to Michael Pittman Jr. and a 25-yarder to Warren. That throw to the rookie tight end was by far his best ball of the afternoon. 

Jones had time in the pocket, climbed the ladder, and delivered a perfectly timed ball to Warren up the left sideline. Jones had Indianapolis on the doorstep of a touchdown, but after getting to the 5-yard line, an offensive holding penalty pushed them backward and ultimately had to settle for a field goal. That groove that Jones found himself in amid that scoring drive had the offense looking as smooth as it has in either preseason game so far this summer. 

How Anthony Richardson performed

Anthony Richardson

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Preseason Week 2 stats: Completed six of his 11 throws for 73 yards, while adding nine yards on one rush

After Jones played the first two drives that took up the entire first quarter, Richardson was next up and played the remainder of the first half (three drives). His first drive saw him lead the Colts 90 yards down the field over 12 plays and eventually get into the end zone for the first time on the day. His first-and-10 throw at the 20-yard line to Gould was maybe his most encouraging, albeit a short 9-yard gain. What made it impressive was Richardson rolling out to his left and delivering an accurate throw to Gould on the numbers. Short yardage accuracy has been a sticking point for Richardson, so to see him make a play like this shows some flashes of improvement. 

That said, it wasn't perfect for Richardson. On that initial drive, he held the ball a bit too long after getting into the red zone on a third-and-4 play that led to an ineligible downfield pass penalty. Still, he was able to scramble for the first down to erase the penalty and eventually helped get them to the three-yard line, where Tyler Goodson punched in the rushing score.  

Richardson's second drive -- which began at the Green Bay 22-yard line after a recovered fumble --  started with him showing some warts from earlier in his career. His first dropback of the drive saw him hold the ball a touch too long, was delayed in finding an open target, and, when he did, threw the ball behind running back DJ Giddens. He had another throw that was too far in front of Gidden on a first-and-goal attempt, and later had a dangerous throw intended for tight end Will Mallory. Richardson tried to find him in the end zone for the touchdown, but there were a handful of Packers defenders around Mallory, which made Richardson's decision to try and fit it in that window puzzling. 

Richardson's final drive was a three-and-out that traveled negative five yards, but it did flash his deep ball ability. He uncorked a beautiful 38-yard pass to Gould, who came down with the reception. However, the play was called back due to an offside penalty on the offense. 

Verdict: Jones has a slight edge

If I were to determine a winner out of solely this preseason performance, I'd give it to Jones by a slim margin. While he did have the botched snap on his résumé in this game, the offense did seem to perform smoother and with more consistency with him under center, even if he did lead them to fewer scoring drives. Meanwhile, Richardson did flash some promise and had maybe the best throw of the game (even if it didn't count), but there were also still some lumps that Colts fans are all too familiar with. He was either behind or too far in front on some of his shorter throws, and his throw to Mallory in the end zone with about five Packers around him was an example of how volatile the offense may be with him at quarterback. With Jones, the offense may not have the higher ceiling, but it likely has a higher floor, which is arguably more important for 2025.