AFC Notes: Will Levis, Anthony Richardson, C.J. Stroud, Colts, Texans, Titans

Colts

Colts QB Anthony Richardson said he’s disappointed in his benching but is using it as a learning experience.

“Of course, everybody knows the news,” Richardson said, via Colts Wire. “I’m not starting this upcoming week. Of course it hurts. As a competitor, you definitely don’t want to be told that you’re not the guy anymore for the upcoming week. But it’s all good, I’m using the opportunity to grow and just learn from my mistakes.”

• Colts C Ryan Kelly expects rookie OL Matt Goncalves to fill in for LT Bernhard Raimann (concussion) in Week 9, via Mike Chappell. 
• Colts HC Shane Steichen ruled out Raimann for Week 9. (Mike Chappell)
• Steichen on where they stand this season: “If you get in the playoffs, I think anyone has a chance once you get in.” (Joel A. Erickson)
• Indianapolis GM Chris Ballard and Steichen sat down with Richardson for 45 minutes to discuss the reasoning for his benching. (Chappell)

Texans

Houston fell to 6-3 after losing to the Jets on Thursday Night Football in Week 9. Texans QB C.J. Stroud talked about the brutal loss and called it a “wake-up call.”

“To come out here on a prime-time game and get embarrassed, that is never fun,” Stroud said, via ESPN’s DJ Bien-Aime. “We have to be better in a lot of areas, and it starts with me. There’s plays I got to make, throws I got to make. I point the finger at me and realize I got to be better as a football player. If we want to win, this is not the recipe for it. We got to learn how to dominate.

“This is definitely a great wake-up call for us to tighten up the ship.”

Texans HC DeMeco Ryans cited pass protection as an area that needs to improve if they want to reach their goals. 

“We give up eight sacks, and every dropback and pass situation looks like we’re in scramble mode, so it’s just not good enough,” Ryans added. “We can’t operate on time, and we got to get that fixed. Anytime you get sacked that many times, it’s not good enough. Don’t want a quarterback getting hit as many hits as he took. … We got to adjust.”

Titans

Titans HC Brian Callahan said the time off has done QB Will Levis well and they’re going to be testing his arm this week in practice to see if he’s able to go out and play.

“We’re going to try to get a feel for where he’s at with some rest, see how he feels throwing the ball, see how it looks,” Callahan said, via PFT. “The more important part for Will right now will be not just today, but Thursday, Friday worth of days consecutively throwing — see how that goes. He feels good after the rest and some time off of throwing. So, we’ll see what it looks like as the week goes along. We’ll make sure that if he’s feeling good and up to it, then we’ll ramp it up and see where he’s at. We’ll test all the throws, make sure he can make them all, make sure he’s confident in it, and if he does, then we’ll move forward. But we’ll see how the week goes along.”

• Titans OC Nick Holz said they expect Levis (shoulder) to be their starting quarterback once he returns: “Once Will Levis returns, we expect him to stay in and be the QB, barring injury.” (Jim Wyatt)