MINNEAPOLIS – The Indianapolis Colts’ quarterback play didn’t go exactly as expected, with the team’s offense putting up the fewest points, yards and first downs of the season in Joe Flacco’s first game since being named the starter over Anthony Richardson.

But coach Shane Steichen seemed unwilling to go back on his much-discussed decision. He said in the aftermath of Indianapolis’ 21-13 loss to the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday night that Flacco will remain the Colts’ QB1.

“Right now, yes,” Steichen said when asked if Flacco is still his starter.

Steichen’s decision came under scrutiny after he made the change on Tuesday, and on Wednesday he told reporters that the decision was made because Flacco “gives us the best chance to win right now.”

Instead, the Colts fell to 4-5 and their offense seemed to take a step back, posting season lows in offensive points (six), yards (227) and first downs (13) as the offense struggled to find any consistency against the Brian to find. The Flores-led Minnesota Vikings defense.

The Colts were particularly unproductive in the first half, generating just 92 yards of offense and 62 passing yards. Indianapolis went 3-for-11 on third downs, while Flacco went 3-for-9 for 47 yards in those scenarios.

“You know it’s going to be tough coming in here against a team like that,” Flacco said. “But I don’t think you ever expect something like that.”

In all, Flacco completed 16 of his 27 passes for 179 yards with one interception, the result of a questionable call that left Vikings cornerback Byron Murphy Jr. Colts receiver Josh Downs was able to undercut on a third-down breakout route.

Flacco, Steichen said, “was fine. Obviously he’s played in environments like this before, but again, it starts with me … I have to keep looking at what we’re doing offensively. We have eight (games) left and I have to look at the plans and see what we’re doing and go from there.

Richardson’s problems were well documented, especially his NFL-low 44.4% completion rate and seven interceptions. But the Colts lacked the traits the 22-year-old quarterback offers, such as his dangerous deep ball throws and running ability.

Flacco generated just two completions longer than 20 yards on Sunday. His 7.7 air yards per attempt were the Colts’ lowest in a game this season. Explosive play is an area in which Richardson has excelled, with an NFL-high 12.3 air yards per attempt in 2024.

In terms of the running game, the Colts struggled to find consistent success against the Vikings’ formidable run defense. Richardson, a dual-threat quarterback, has given the Colts a boost they may have missed on Sunday. Indianapolis finished with a season-low 68 rushing yards, with running back Jonathan Taylor (48 yards) matching his lowest performance of the season a week after running for 105 yards in a loss to the Houston Texans.

The change in quarterback “definitely changes the plays we run,” receiver Alec Pierce said. “We don’t do that many (run-pass option) things.”

The offensive performance overshadowed a defensive surge from the Colts, who produced three turnovers, including a sack fumble by Grover Stewart that was picked up and returned for a touchdown by Kenny Moore II.

It was the Colts’ only touchdown of the game.