The Colts’ preseason debut on the road against the Patriots ended in an anti-climactic tie, 13-13, after a 61-yard field goal from Spencer Shrader, followed by a Patriots field goal miss and failed Indianapolis Hail Mary attempt from Riley Leonard.
But there are unquestionably lessons that can be learned from a preseason tie. Here are the six biggest thoughts I had watching the Colts’ preseason opener:
Anthony Richardson shows highs…and lows
I hesitate to make any abrupt, overarching evaluations of the Colts’ two quarterbacks Thursday night, outside a few generalizations that largely match what we already knew about Leonard and Anthony Richardson Sr.
Richardson, the fourth-overall pick from 2023 who enters the final year of his rookie contract, flashed why he was a starter the first two years of his career. He has big-play potential in the run game, as head coach Shane Steichen drew up a couple designed quarterback runs for Richardson in a way he’d be unlikely to with starter Daniel Jones – and Richardson pulled it a couple times on read-option plays and made the defense miss to gain some chunk yardage. Most – not all – his throws were on-target darts and he was an admirable game manager during a late-half two-minute drill where the Colts had less than 30 seconds and he got them into long field goal position after starting at the 8-yard-line.
Then again, Richardson also showed us a couple examples of why he lost the starter battle last year and has no chance of gaining it back in 2026. Rather than slide as he approached a pack of Patriot defenders at the first-down marker, Richardson lunged forward, was swarmed and fumbled.
On his first offensive drive, Richardson made an abysmal throw on the run nowhere near his intended target a couple yards downfield. A couple of plays later, his throw was a bit high but Coleman Owen bobbled it to a Patriots corner for an interception. Richardson finished 11-for-14 for 145 yards passing to go with 53 yards rushing on six carries and a touchdown on a goal-line run in the second quarter. Richardson only missed on a few plays, but his misses were major.
Riley Leonard with familiar struggles
Leonard’s game was far more pedestrian, finishing 9-for-18 for 83 yards and a pick of his own. He was often under pressure while playing with the third-team – a far cry who he’d play with if he has his number called in the regular season. The second-year quarterback continued to hold onto the ball too long – a processing issue that has been clear throughout training camp – but his targets in the passing game were mostly players unlikely to make the roster.
He had several balls batted down at the line of scrimmage, too – some his fault, others a product of how poorly his line was blocking.
In the next preseason game against the Falcons, Steichen will switch things up and give Leonard the start with the second unit and give the second half to Richardson. It will be interesting to see if Leonard fares better while playing with a stronger offensive unit and if Richardson can be the same playmaker and field general with the third team.
Colts indeed got younger, faster at LB
One of the Colts’ biggest quests coming into the offseason, according to Colts general manager Chris Ballard, was getting “younger and faster” on defense – particularly at linebacker. Veterans Zaire Franklin and Germaine Pratt were trusted veteran leaders but also frequently exploited in the .passing game.
The 2026 Colts linebacker group will never, ever be accused of being slow.
Rookie Bryce Boettcher and young vets Austin Ajiake and Jaylon Carlies showed out in the first half. Boettcher and Carlies made some highlight plays, hitting holes hard to defend the run or playing from behind around the edge and making up ground quickly. There will be moments where they get caught out of place in coverage but Indianapolis added juice there this offseason.
Colts’ struggles from backup cornerbacks concerning
There remain positions of concern across the Colts’ roster – wide receiver and offensive line among them. Secondary – with a pair of All-Pros starting at cornerback in Sauce Gardner and Charvarius Ward – seemed to be the Colts’ strongest, deepest position. But if the early returns Thursday night are anything to remember, it’s that the Colts cannot afford for their starters’ injury woes to continue.
Veteran Mekhi Blackmon and young rotational corner Jonathan Edwards were beaten again and again during the first half – highlighted (or low-lighted) by Blackmon’s pair of defensive pass interference penalties and Edwards getting beaten badly in the red zone for a touchdown in the back corner of the end zone, unable to get turned around to guard the ball. Both players were beaten badly while in man coverage on shallow crossing routes, too. Edwards was beaten deep on a play called back by an illegal man downfield penalty on New England.
Former Bengals veteran corner Cam Taylor-Britt is Indianapolis’ floating backup at slot corner and the outside, so if one of the team’s starters is off the field, he’s likely on it. But if there’s a pair of injuries – or during Week 1 when Taylor-Britt will be suspended – the Colts will need to see more out of their rotational backups.
Edwards’ best moment came as a punt team gunner in the fourth quarter – a key place for him to shine if he’s going to make the team.
Colts 2nd-string defensive line struggled to apply pressure
Without their starting defensive line dressing Thursday night, the preseason opener was a chance for the backups to flash what they could do against the Patriots’ backup offensive line.
Save for a couple individual splash plays from Adetomiwa Adebawore and George Gumbs Jr., and a late-game sack from Caden Curry, the unit applied very little pressure on the Patriots quarterbacks. Starters Laiatu Latu, Arden Key, DeForest Buckner and Grover Stewart didn’t dress Thursday, so it’s hard to know until we see next week’s joint practices with the Falcons how the first team defense looks in those situations. But the Colts are getting older on the interior, Latu’s only in his third season and Arden Key has been inconsistent in recent years. Without a truly dominant player signed in free agency, the Colts may need to rotate players in situationally and to keep guys fresh and healthy. Up against second and third-team guys, you wish you saw a little more from the Colts’ defensive line.
In the run game, Gumbs was a menace and proved patient waiting for the play to develop so as not to run past it while. It’s unclear just what kind of role he might get to play as a rookie, but the more splash plays he can make, the more opportunities he might see as a third-down wrecking ball.
Colts’ answer to receiver depth: tight end Will Mallory
Even when Alec Pierce finishes rehabbing his surgically repaired left ankle, there remains an argument that the Colts’ wide receiver crew could use an additional free agent signing to add some injury insurance. But if that doesn’t happen, the Colts seem to have a clear and obvious answer: ignore Will Mallory’s tight end designation and find ways to get him the ball.
The fourth-year tight end has flashed great hands during training camp and has speed in the open field. The former fifth-round pick in 2023 proved a reliable outlet throughout the game for Richardson and Leonard. As the fourth player on the depth chart behind Tyler Warren, Mo Alie-Cox and Drew Ogletree, Mallory’s not nearly big enough to help as a blocker, but using him in two-tight-end sets with Pierce and Josh Downs on the field would allow the Colts to open things up and act as if they’ve got four receivers on the field.
Mallory only played two games last year and saw just a single target after catching 18 balls as a rookie, but a shallow receiving corps has Mallory looking like the answer the Colts need – particularly if the Colts ever lose one of their starters.
Joel A. Erickson and Nathan Brown cover the Colts all season. Get more coverage on IndyStarTV and with the Colts Insider newsletter.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: 6 thoughts from Colts’ preseason opener tie against Patriots including the quarterbacks
Reporting by Nathan Brown, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
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By Nathan Brown, Indianapolis Star | USA TODAY Network
