Colts rookie QB Anthony Richardson keeps getting knocked out of games

The Indianapolis Colts scored a huge AFC South win on Sunday by knocking off the Tennessee Titans by a 23-16 margin.

That win, however, came at a potentially significant cost as rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson was again unable to finish the game. Richardson had to exit the game in the first half with a shoulder injury and looked to be a great deal of pain as he exited. 

X-rays were negative, but he is still due to undergo further testing and head coach Shane Steichen is not sure if the injury will be a short-term or long-term issue. 

Injuries happen and are an unfortunate reality in the NFL, but the Richardson situation is really starting to get concerning because he has proven unable to actually finish games in his brief NFL career.

Sunday's game was his fourth in the NFL, and he has already been knocked out of three of them while missing another full game due to one of those injuries. He has already had a knee injury, a concussion and now a shoulder injury to keep him off the field.

The Colts have been down this road before in watching a promising young quarterback get worn down and physically beaten up behind a bad line in an offense that was not designed to protect him, and it ultimately led to the early retirement of their most recent franchise quarterback (Andrew Luck).

They can not allow that to happen again. 

The Colts invested the No. 4 overall pick in Richardson in the hopes he would solve the six-year revolving door of stop-gap veterans they have been going through post-Luck. His talent level and potential are enormous with an upside that is through the roof. But none of that matters if they can not keep him on the field.

In the short-term, Richardson being sidelined might actually help the Colts' immediate chances.

The Colts are 3-0 when veteran backup Gardner Minshew takes the majority of the snaps — including Sunday's game — and are 0-2 when Richardson does. 

That might not be what is best for the long-term outlook because they need Richardson to develop and be a franchise player. Before that happens they need to figure out a way to keep him on the field.