The Colts fell to the Broncos 34-30, but the scoreline is far from the most important takeaway in Indy’s first preseason game Sunday in Indianapolis.
For the first time since suffering a shoulder injury in week five last season, QB Anthony Richardson took the field in his highly anticipated return. Head coach Shane Steichen shared on Friday that Richardson and the starters would play “a series or two,” which remained true for Richardson. He was 2-for-4 for 25 yards and one rushing yard as the starting offense couldn’t do much.
It was an unexciting day for Richardson, albeit a small sample size. It’s evident he needs more reps, which is just fine for a 22-year-old quarterback. At the end of the day, he showed improved mechanics, was smarter with the football, and left the game uninjured. Steichen liked what he saw from his second-year quarterback.
“I thought it was good…Obviously, we wanted to start a little better on that first drive…but it was good to get those guys out in a game-like situation,” Steichen said.
Of the five quarterbacks Steichen rolled out Sunday, Richardson was the only one to not lead a scoring drive. Only undrafted rookie Jason Bean registered a passing touchdown, hitting Laquon Treadwell for a 16-yard score late in the game.
The Colts’ rushing attack wasn’t potent, but it was effective. The team totalled just 63 yards on the ground, but Evan Hull and Tyler Goodson were able to find pay dirt from short yardage.
On the other side, the starting defense was able to make some plays, even with JuJu Brents and DeForest Buckner not playing. Despite early struggles in the secondary, Kenny Moore II snagged an interception as Samaje Perine juggled a pass from Jarrett Stidham. It would be the first of four turnovers the Indianapolis defense forced in the game.
The third of those turnovers was a big one. Rookie Micah Abraham, who was drafted to be a playmaker despite being traditionally undersized for a cornerback, ripped the football out of Audric Estime’s hands and took his own forced fumble to the end zone for a 45-yard scoop-and-score, impressing Steichen, who said didn’t even see the strip before watching the replay.
“That’s always great to see, getting these late-round draft picks [to] go make plays…he made a big-time play,” Steichen said.
It was a huge step in the right direction for Abraham, who currently sits on the roster bubble.
First-round pick Laiatu Latu turned heads in his Colts debut as well. While the box score won’t do him justice (just one tackle), Latu was a problem for Denver’s offensive line. He consistently found ways to get to the pocket despite not recording a sack. Most importantly, the rookie enjoyed his first taste of NFL action.
“Shoot, it felt great to get out there and try to make a play on [another team’s] QB,” Latu said. “It was a blast being out there.”
Where the defense did struggle was defending the run. Once Grover Stewart came out of the game, Eric Johnson II and Taven Bryan were unable to impose themselves and limit Denver’s attack. The Broncos scored three of their four touchdowns on the ground.
In the secondary, Dallis Flowers was ineffective in his first action coming off a torn Achilles. He drew two defensive pass interference penalties, the second coming in a critical situation at the end of the half which allowed Denver to take a three-point lead to the break. In addition, second-year cornerback Jaylon Jones maximized his few snaps and all but secured the starting job opposite of Brents. Flowers has his work cut out for him if he’s to earn his starting job back.
All in all, it was an important evaluative day for Steichen and his staff while also giving fans a glimpse at what the 2024 season could look like with just under a month before the Texans come to town on Sept. 8.
But, there are two more preseason games to go. This week, Indianapolis hosts the Arizona Cardinals for joint practices Wednesday and Thursday before squaring off next Saturday.
