One game into his career, Anthony Richardson is learning lessons the hard way

The Colts rookie quarterback suffered two minor injuries in his debut. After the game, Trevor Lawrence had a message at midfield: "Protect yourself."

The education of Anthony Richardson is a weekly, even a daily proposition for the Colts young quarterback. Sunday, he learned several valuable lessons, the most notable being one he received after the game from Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence as they met at midfield:

Protect yourself.

See, just because Richardson is 6-4, 244 pounds and built like a motor home – remember Jim Irsay calling him a “superhero”? -- doesn’t mean he’s immune to the violence of National Football League defenders.

Twice in his first-ever NFL game, he suffered minor injuries, hurting his ankle early on a designed run and then, later, his knee, also on a QB run when the Colts were desperate to convert a fourth-and-5 deep in Jacksonville territory. Richardson could have returned to the game for the final few snaps, but the Colts chose to keep him on the sidelines as a precautionary measure.

On Monday, he woke up hurt and sore. Not seriously, but enough to notice.

“I was a little sore,” Richardson said Wednesday. “I woke up (Monday) with some feelings that I’ve never felt before. Some of the vets were like, `Welcome to the league, rook. That’s how it’s going to be.’ Just get in the training room early, take care of my body.”