The Colts bounced back from their loss to the Broncos in the preseason opener, defeating the Arizona Cardinals 21-13 Saturday in Lucas Oil Stadium.
While the majority of starters didn’t play, a handful of regulars got some snaps. Most notably, Nick Cross imposed himself early on, dominating from the strong safety spot. He made some impressive plays in space, pulling ahead in that position battle for the first time this preseason.
The defensive line had a much improved performance compared to the preseason opener as well. Adetomiwa Adebawore, Isaiah Land and Dayo Odeyingbo got credit. Head coach Shane Steichen was excited about the improvement Adebawore has shown over time.
“From last year’s training camp to right now, he’s making a ton of plays,” Steichen said. “You can see his technique, it’s showing up on game day. We like where [he’s] at.”
The run defense made solid strides even with Raekwon Davis still on the non-football injury list due to high blood pressure. Despite allowing some chunk plays, Arizona managed just 3.8 yards per carry.
The Colts’ own run game powered the offense, with all three scores coming on the ground. Tyler Goodson scored for the second straight week, as did Zavier Scott with Jason Bean adding one of his own.
Bean was the leading passer for the Colts, going 7-for-9 for 94 yards and an interception. His leading receiver was former Vikings’ first-round pick Laquon Treadwell, who hauled in seven catches for 71 yards as he threw his name into the mix for a possible practice squad slot.
Even with the improvements, it wasn’t all pretty. Indianapolis saw a couple players leave the game with injuries, most notably Jelani Woods. His lack of availability last season and so far this preseason could come back to bite him come roster cuts.
After missing the preseason opener, JuJu Brents was a rare starter to play Saturday. His day was cut short early after suffering a cut to his nose and was pulled for precautionary reasons.
The biggest concern of the night, however, came from an unexpected source. Matt Gay, who’s entering the second year of a four year, $22.5 million contract which made him the highest paid kicker in NFL history at the time, missed both of his field goal attempts from 53 and 46 yards, respectively. He’s currently 1-for-4 on field goal attempts this preseason, with two misses from beyond 50 yards. When asked about it after the game, Gay chalked his struggles up to not having his typical holder, Rigoberto Sanchez.
Even with his kicker’s struggles, Steichen is pleased with the team’s growth through two preseason games.
“I like where we’re at,” he said. “We gotta keep going, keep stacking days and keep getting relentless in everything we do.”
The Colts’ preseason in Indianapolis is done. They will leave for Cincinnati this coming week, where they have a joint practice with the Bengals on Tuesday Aug. 22 before their preseason finale on Thursday night.
