INDIANAPOLIS -- Anthony Richardson dropped back to pass and found few options. The wide running lane opening to his left was infinitely more promising.

So, like any good quarterback, he made a smart and quick decision. Richardson tucked the ball and started up the field. Within five yards of the line of scrimmage, he was in a full sprint, his long strides allowing him to outpace pursuing defenders.

First, a defensive lineman gave chase to no avail. A linebacker tried, too, but Richardson ran away from him as well. With the end zone in sight, three would-be tacklers bounced off the big-bodied Richardson before he launched into a Superman-like leap across the goal line.

As that 81-yard touchdown run against LSU demonstrated, college defenses were often ill-equipped to deal with Richardson -- then a star at the University of Florida.

Now that the first-round pick is the Indianapolis Colts ’ starting quarterback, he’s still a dangerous runner in the open field.

“His ability to do what he does and be a dynamic runner is obviously a huge part of his game and he’s had some huge runs in the games,” coach Shane Steichen said.

But there’s an important difference now that Richardson is in the NFL. Richardson is facing much higher-caliber athletes in the pro ranks. An outside linebacker like Harold Landry III can run him down from behind and cause him to injure his shoulder, which happened Sunday.

After Richardson’s third notable injury this season -- one that landed him on injured reserve for at least the next four weeks -- he and the Colts must face some realities.

“I know [injuries] are part of the game, but we’ve got to just keep evaluating that stuff,” Steichen said. “And, again -- I say it all the time -- but we’ve just got to continue to be smart.”

That’s not only true when it comes to deciding when and how much to deploy Richardson as a runner. In fact, there’s much more discussion at Colts headquarters about Richardson’s own need to protect himself.

It’s a message that is being consistently drilled into the rookie by those around him, from coaches to family and friends, multiple sources say. Whether Richardson could have handled the situation that led to his injury on Sunday differently is difficult to determine. But it was clear Richardson didn’t have much running room on the play before he was tackled.

Before Sunday, it wasn’t apparent the message was getting through.

After returning from a concussion that caused him to miss a Week 3 win over the Ravens, Richardson was asked if he needed to adjust his style of play.

“No, it’s ball,” he said. “The injuries I’ve gotten so far, it’s nothing crazy. I banged my knee on the turf. Everybody gets hurt on turf, just hitting your knee really hard on the hard surface. And, then, hitting my head on the ground, that’s part of ball. I don’t think I should change the way I play. I think I play smart enough to know when to get down, when not to get down. It is what it is and hopefully I can stay healthy for the rest of the season.”

But that didn’t happen, and the Colts are hoping Richardson pays the issue more heed. At the same time, they’re not totally surprised this has proven to be a challenge. As one team official pointed out, Richardson just recently turned 21 and -- given his limited playing time at Florida -- is about as experienced as most college juniors.

Indianapolis drafted Richardson knowing it might take some time to acclimate to the physicality of the pro game, understanding there might be some consequences until he did. The Colts examined other players with similar styles -- like the Buffalo Bills’ Josh Allen -- and saw a tendency for those players to take unnecessary hits early in their careers.

And, like Allen, Richardson’s large stature -- he’s 6-foot-4 and 244 pounds -- ensures he won’t be treated with kid gloves by defenders. Richardson is always going to get defenders’ best shots.

“That’s just human nature,” guard Will Fries said. “When you see a guy that’s that big and that physically imposing, I think that’s something that defenses probably look at and [say], ‘OK, we’ve got to wrap this guy up.”

Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence had a similar takeaway after the teams met in the season opener, offering Richardson some unsolicited advice afterward.

"The hits add up in this league and they are a little different than in college," Lawrence said. "So, I just told him to protect himself. I'm excited to watch his career unfold."

It isn’t only Richardson who has to consider how to move forward. Steichen, also the offensive playcaller, will need to mull how much he wants to expose Richardson to hits when using him on designed runs. Despite seeing action in just 12 quarters to date, Richardson still ranks sixth among quarterbacks with 16 designed runs.

But don’t expect an overhaul of that approach whenever Richardson returns. Steichen left the door open for a bit of a shift, but he has not shown any inclination to do away with such a dynamic aspect of Richardson’s game and the advantages his running ability provides the offense.

“We’ll cross that bridge when it gets time,” Steichen said of adjusting his offense.

For now, the Colts think Richardson showing a bit less aggressiveness might be enough to cut down on his injury rate.

As Richardson himself said after sustaining his concussion on a hit from an oncoming safety, “guys close in fast.”

Clearly, Richardson's not in college anymore.