Richardson struggles in his return, but the Colts win a grimy game with defense and unlikely heroes

Bet you didn't think Grant Stuard or Segun Olubi would show up in this column, did you?

Anthony Richardson heard the boos as his Colts ran off the field at halftime. He didn’t know who the boos were directed at – hint: it was you, my friend – the home fans getting antsy after an unproductive half when Richardson completed just four passes, lost a fumble in the red zone and Indy trailed the Dolphins, 10-3.

It’s understandable and it isn’t; fans want production and victories, and the Colts had performed reasonably well while Joe Flacco handled things behind center the last two-plus weeks. It didn’t mean the fanbase was giving up on Richardson, but they were sending a loud message on a day when Ring of Fame honoree Dallas Clark, Peyton Manning, Edgerrin James and all the stars of the Colts’ forever teams gathered to celebrate Clark’s induction: This wasn’t nearly good enough. And, of course, they were right.

But here’s the thing about Richardson: You have to live with the bad stuff before you get to the good stuff. You have to be patient, have to stick with him through thin and thinner -- the missed throws, the fumbled shotgun snap, all of it -- because out of nowhere, he’ll rip a 33-yard bullet right through a defender’s hands and into the waiting arms of Michael Pittman, a play that set up the game-winning field goal with less than two minutes remaining.

In the end, Richardson completed a lackluster 10-of-24 passes for 129 yards. But Flacco was never a consideration for Shane Steichen. Never. Not for a second. Hell, we in the media didn’t even ask the question; we know the answer. And that’s as it should be; while Flacco may give them a better chance to win games today, Richardson is the future, and the future starts now. Someday, maybe this year and maybe next, the light will go on for Richardson and the Colts will be in business. But for now, he’s not nearly good enough, and the Colts, grisly 16-10 winners over the Tua-less Dolphins, will just have to survive his struggles.

“There’s going to be highs and lows, there’s going to be fast starts and slow starts (with an inexperienced quarterback like Richardson),” said linebacker Zaire Franklin, who had 16 tackles. “I kept telling the defense, let’s get some turnovers, give him (Richardson) a short field and give him some confidence. And we did that.”

Defense won Sunday. And it should have, right? No Tua Tagovailoa, who is still in concussion protocol. The starting quarterback, Tyler “Snoop” Huntley, was chased from the game in the fourth quarter when he fell hard on his right/throwing shoulder. That left third-stringer (actually fourth-stringer; he wasn’t even listed on the gameday flip card) Tim Boyle in charge of establishing some kind of pass offense on a day when the Dolphins’ only offensive success came on the ground (188 yards on 40 carries). No luck; the Colts, who forced and recovered two massive fumbles with Miami in scoring position, shut the Dolphins out in the second half, shutting down Huntley and then Boyle and all the Miami receiving threats.

Look, I don’t know if the Colts are a playoff contender, not at 4-3 with two straight less-than-sexy victories over Tennessee (Will Levis) and Miami the last two weeks, but what I do know is this: They’ve given themselves a chance to show what they’re really all about. This was a game they absolutely, positively had to win because the schedule gets ravenous this next month. They travel to Houston next week (the Texans lost Sunday to the Packers), play at Minnesota, face the Bills in Indy, play at the Jets in the Meadowlands and finish up the gauntlet with a game at home against the Lions.