INDIANAPOLIS – We are back to football, so to speak.
On Sunday afternoon, the Colts had their first game of the 2024 preseason, facing the Denver Broncos.
1. Anthony Richardson plays his first game since last October
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Anthony Richardson plays his first game since last October: Sunday marked the first time Anthony Richardson played in an NFL game since October 8, 2023 (Week 5 of last season). And Richardson looked like a guy with 300+ days of playing experience. Some timing issues and ball placement issues from Richardson resulted in the starting offense only having 7 plays (1 first down) on the field in their 2 game series, both of which ended in a punt. Richardson was 2 of 4 for 25 yards and had a scramble for 1 yard. More than any overreaction on 2 drives, Richardson’s easy bounce back is obviously a massive step in the right direction. During the 10-day training camp, Richardson has taken every starting rep and now checks the game box, albeit 2 series, off the August checklist. But when we examine Sunday’s work for Richardson, it was a day of slow development for him and the passing offense. The question of overall accuracy is probably the biggest game issue when discussing Richardson’s growth at this level. He was better in that area in camp, but Sunday was certainly not his best, although he also extremely small sample size.
2. This is Laiatu Latu, folks
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This is Laiatu Latu, folks: Now the entire NFL world has a glimpse of what we’ve seen so far in Laiatu Latu’s rookie offseason. Latu played in the Colts’ subpackage with the starting defense for the first time on Sunday, and showed his typical, consistent sense of pressure against veteran left tackle Garret Bolles. Latu wasn’t in the starting lineup on Sunday (Tyquan Lewis and Kwity Paye were the starting defensive ends), but he was brought in on the 3rd.rd before playing more of an every-down end role once the Colts put their second unit on the field. Bolles, who has started 99 times in his career and is a former All-Pro, had a lot of trouble keeping Latu from disrupting the play. Again, this is the Latu we’ve seen since the spring. But seeing him in a game situation against a good tackle should keep (increase?) the excitement of seeing him more and more often.
3. Quiet day for the start of the offensive
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Quiet day to start the offensive: With 10 of the 11 expected Week 1 starters playing (not including Josh Downs), the Colts were able to complete two series for their starting offense with little production. Aside from a catch and run by Mo Alie-Cox after a missed tackle for 19 yards, it was a quiet afternoon for the starting offense. Anthony Richardson was off with his timing/ball placement with his pass catchers and Jonathan Taylor managed just 4 yards on 2 carries. The pass defense looked good in the two series of work (offensive tackle depth remains an issue). Looking ahead to Week 2 of the preseason, teams typically don’t let their frontline players play in preseason games after several practices together. But it will be interesting to see if Shane Steichen changes anything up for the Cardinals this week before Indy and Arizona face off at Lucas Oil Stadium on Saturday night.
4. Front defenders show themselves
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Frontline Defenders show themselves: Like the starting offense, the starting defense also put in two sets of work. The starting defense was without two expected starters on Sunday – JuJu Brents (shoulder) and DeForest Buckner (rest). But the key guys up front had a professional afternoon of work. From Grover Stewart disrupting the middle to Zaire Franklin being active around the ball to Kenny Moore II stepping into his usual playmaking role, the defense didn’t allow any points. Some of the best hopes were some nice pressure points from Tyquan Lewis and Laiatu Latu. After allowing some easy coverage plays, the Colts’ starting defense played much better from there against backup quarterback Jarret Stidham.
5. Nick Cross has a lovely afternoon
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Nick Cross has a lovely afternoon: It’s been quite a week for Nick Cross as he tries to earn the starting safety spot alongside Julian Blackmon. Cross started Sunday, played 4 series at safety (the starting defense left after 2 series) and had a nice afternoon where he even recorded a drive as strong safety. Cross made a nice tackle in open space early and then had a near interception on a seam throw from Denver rookie Bo Nix. As training camp has gone on, Cross’s obvious edge at the free safety spot has shrunk a bit as Rodney Thomas II and Ronnie Harrison Jr. get more and more opportunities at starters. But Sunday was definitely a good day for Cross. Yes, Cross was in coverage at cornerback for a second quarter touchdown (on his 4th series of work on Sunday), but that’s not a play the Colts are likely to ask him to make if he’s with the starters. Cross had a nice afternoon with other guys from the front row on Sunday and that’s a positive for him after a mostly not so nice August for the third-year safety.
6. Fast rackets
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-Initial attack: QB: Anthony Richardson, RB: Jonathan Taylor, WR: Michael Pittman Jr., WR: Alec Pierce, WR: AD Mitchell, TE: Mo Alie-Cox, LT: Bernhard Raimann, LG: Quenton Nelson, C: Ryan Kelly, RG : Will Fries, RT: Braden Smith
–Start defense: DE-Kwity Paye, DT-Grover Stewart, Taven Bryan, DE-Tyquan Lewis, LB-EJ Speed, LB-Zaire Franklin, CB-Kenny Moore II, CB-Jaylon Jones, CB-Dallis Flowers, S-Nick Cross, S -Julian Blackmon
–Injury report: The following Colts left Sunday’s game due to injury: RB-Trey Sermon (left thigh).
-What’s next: The Colts will hold their final two practices of training camp this Wednesday and Thursday at Grand Park, with the Arizona Cardinals in town for joint practices. The Colts will then face the Cardinals at Lucas Oil Stadium on Saturday night at 7 p.m.
