"Get his old a*s off the field" - Colts fans slam Joe Flacco as 39-year-old QB struggles massively vs. Vikings

The Indianapolis Colts made the boldest quarterback call of the week. Fresh off a struggling performance from second-year quarterback Anthony Richardson, the Colts turned to veteran Joe Flacco to start in Week 9 against the Minnesota Vikings, benching the player they had spent a top-five pick on in the 2023 NFL Draft.

Flacco had performed admirably in 2024 as Richardson recovered from injury, but coach Shane Steichen decided that Flacco would be the Colts' quarterback for the remainder of the season. In his first game as the leader of the team, though, things didn't end as expected.

Joe Flacco struggled massively against an aggressive Vikings defense. He finished the game with 16 completed passes out of 27 attempts, throwing no touchdowns and one interception. He had just 179 yards and was sacked three times, finding no answers to explore Brian Flores' unit.

NFL fans on X roasted the Colts for starting Flacco instead of Richardson:

"Joe Flacco is beyond cooked. He had Alex Pierce wide open across the middle before that rush even got to him. Get this bum off this team," was one of the opinions.

"This was about as bad as Joe Flacco could play tonight. Just unacceptable," said another fan.

"Joe Flacco is the worst QB in the entire NFL at this point in his career. Going back to Anthony Richardson is the way to go, even though he sucks as well," was another fan opinion.

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Why did the Colts bench Anthony Richardson?

His recent performance against the Houston Texans in Week 8, where he completed 10-of-32 passes, had many fans wondering whether he's the right guy to lead the franchise. However, another incident sparked even more controversy during the game.

After scrambling in a second-down play, Richardson tapped out and left the field in a crucial third-down, with Flacco taking his place as quarterback. When asked by reporters why he had left the field, the youngster said that he "was just tired", prompting public criticism from Steichen and center Ryan Kelly.

With the team sitting with a 4-4 record and a realistic chance of making the playoffs, Steichen took the short-view approach and gave the reigns to Flacco. At first glance, the move don't seem to be paying off.