The preseason for the Indianapolis Colts has come to an end following their finale against the Cincinnati Bengals on the road.
The Colts would come away with the victory, but we aren’t terribly concerned about. Instead, with the game having just wrapped up, let’s dive into my instant takeaways from the Colts’ performance.
– Over five series for Anthony Richardson, it was a very up-and-down performance, to say the least. The first drive couldn’t have gone any better and not only from a results perspective, but how he handled blitzes and his overall decision-making was also impressive. Given his lack of experience, the highs and lows should be expected to a degree. For more on his performance, click here.
– Play-action was a big part of Steichen’s plan for Richardson. It’s also worth mentioning in the preseason, the run game component isn’t a part of the equation yet, and it’s not as if Steichen is putting together detailed game-plans, which is where he can really get creative.
– When the defensive starters were in, it looked like Nick Cross remained at free safety after often being asked to play strong safety as of late. While we didn’t really see Cross tested, what I do think is noteworthy is that when all the starters came out, so did Cross. Last week, while just about every other defensive starter rested, Cross was playing.
– JuJu Brents and Tanor Bortolini, both of whom left last Saturday’s game with injuries, did not play. For an update on Brents, click here. For an update on Bortolini, click here.
– It was another nice performance for Tyler Goodson. He seems to have just a bit more juice as a ball carrier than Evan Hull, who had some nice moments as well. Nate Atkins of the Indy Star would call Goodson’s preseason “consistently nice,” and that he’s looked like the better runner between him and Hull. Keeping four running backs is very much in play.
– Facing the Bengals backups, as expected, the Colts’ defensive starters were dominant, giving up only 24 yards in 16 plays.
– Laiatu Latu recorded a sack on his first play of the game. As was the case in Week 1, Kwity Paye and Tyquan Lewis started on the early downs, with Latu rotating in for Lewis on the obvious passing down. Recently, Paye discussed Latu’s ability to bend and described him as water-like. We saw those abilities on that sack. Latu continues to be very disruptive.
– Some movement along the second offensive line unit. With the swing tackle battle up for grabs, Matt Goncalves played left tackle this week and Blake Freeland was at right tackle. Dalton Tucker also played left guard after playing right guard the first two games. Without Bortolini, Danny Pinter played center and at right guard was Arlington Hambright.
– Alec Pierce had another good performance. By all accounts, it’s been a very good training camp for him. AD Mitchell would score his first touchdown.
– Not a surprise, but if we look at the receiver rotation, Ashton Dulin was apart of the second team offense with Anthony Gould. Dulin just returned from a hamstring injury, but is a core special teams player, giving him an advantage over other receivers like Juwann Winfree and DJ Montgomery. GM Chris Ballard has also mentioned that Dulin can be called upon if the offense is in a pinch.
– It was good to see Raekwon Davis on the field. His return provides a big boost for the Colts’ defensive tackle depth, particularly against the run.
– Of note, for the second game in a row while the other defensive starters were out, Dayo Odeyingbo was playing into the second half.
– Another game, another day of Jason Bean making more plays. Bean was 4-for-4 throwing for 52 yards and rushed for 15 yards and a score. Bean would, unfortunately, leave with a shoulder injury.
– Matt Gay was 1-for-1 on extra point attempts, but then did not kick after that. Undrafted rookie Spencer Shrader would go 2-for-2 on field goals, including hitting a 56-yarder.