INDIANAPOLIS – Here are the main areas of interest in the Indianapolis Colts’ Saturday meeting with the Green Bay Packers at Lucas Oil Stadium:
Details
- Kickoff: 1 p.m.
- Broadcast: CBS4
History lesson
We mention this because we can’t help ourselves. The all-time preseason series is tied at 5-all. The last time these guys met on the field, all they did was stand around and renew friendships at Tom Benson Stadium in Canton, Ohio. The Aug. 7, 2016, Hall of Fame Game matchup was cancelled due to unplayable field conditions. The last time the Colts and Packers actually hit each other in a preseason setting, Green Bay posted a 24-21 win in 2011. It was Curtis Painter vs. Aaron Rodgers, and the Packers won with Mason Crosby’s 50-yard field goal as time expired.
Now you know.
What about the QBs?
The next step in the open competition involves Daniel Jones starting with the No. 1 offense and playing a couple of series – his playing time likely will be determined by snaps, not actual series – before turning things over to Anthony Richardson Sr. Ideally, Saturday will be the final audition and provide coach Shane Steichen, general manager Chris Ballard and owner Carlie Irsay-Gordon all the intel they need to name the starter for the Sept. 7 opener against Miami.
Three weeks of training camp hasn’t really provided any noticeable separation. Each has had his good moments, and hiccups. In our eyes, that means Richardson should be the starter. At the end of 2025, the franchise simply must know – good or bad – whether the No. 4 overall pick in 2023 is the long-term answer.
Projecting Richardson has been incredibly difficult. The talent and ceiling are undeniable. But injuries always lurk. His expected extended playing time in the preseason opener at Baltimore was cut to seven snaps when he dislocated his right pinky.
Yes, Richardson must play at a decent level against the Packers when he takes over for Jones. But he also understands the overriding issue.
He was asked what has to happen against Green Bay to deem it a personal success?
“For one, stay healthy, stay in the game,’’ Richardson said. “That’s probably the biggest thing I need to focus on and be able to just be out there on the field because the best ability is availability.
“So, I just want to make sure I’m staying healthy throughout the game and throughout the season. But just making my reads, doing my job as a quarterback, moving the ball, putting up points, just doing what a quarterback should do.’’
What about the O-line?
Pro Football Focus has the Colts’ offensive line No. 5 in its preseason rankings. We never bought into that lofty spot, primarily because position coach Tony Sparano Jr. has replaced center Ryan Kelly and right guard Will Fries with a pair of second-year linemen: center Tanor Bortolini and right guard Matt Goncalves.
Thursday’s joint practice against the Packers’ defensive front only heightened our concerns. Simply put, Green Bay won the day. The Colts were plagued by false starts and illegal formations – pre-snap penalties are killers and a lack of focus – and allowed seven or eight sacks, depending upon how critical you viewed things.
Whether it’s Richardson or Jones under center Sept. 7, the quarterback’s effectiveness and the ability to establish Jonathan Taylor as a game-long force rest squarely with the o-line.
It needs to assert itself on Saturday.
The run game
One of the most difficult areas to get a grip on at training camp is the run game. Defensive players are allowed to “thud’’ ballcarriers but not bring them to the ground. That makes it hard to determine whether a back broke a tackle and got loose for a long gain that excites the camp crowd, or a lineman or linebacker simply let him go.
Steichen said his starters will play against the Packers, some more than others. That should include Jonathan Taylor. We put Taylor into the Edgerrin James category, although James never agreed with our approach. A back needs a few plays in the preseason just to reacquaint himself with actually getting hit by someone with bad intentions. But not too many.
The only preseason exposure in Taylor’s first five seasons came last summer when he saw playing time in two games. In the first game against Denver, he had four carries for 15 yards on 12 snaps. In the third game against the Bengals, Taylor rushed twice for 4 yards on seven snaps.
While Taylor will be the workhorse of the run game, his supporting cast remains uncertain. Free-agent acquisition Khalil Herbert is missing time with an injury, and rookie D.J. Giddens and Tyler Goodson have taken advantage of the additional reps.
Checking out the secondary
Defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo is going with the players he has, but needs the ones he doesn’t have. Four top members of the secondary are out with injuries: safety Nick Cross (hip flexor) and cornerbacks Kenny Moore II (knee), Jaylon Jones (hamstring) and JuJu Brents (hamstring). Also, Justin Walley, who had earned the starting outside corner spot opposite Mooney Ward, will miss his rookie season after tearing an ACL.
It’s impossible to project which of the injured players will be ready for the opener, but Steichen sounded a tad optimistic with Moore.
“I know he’s feeling good,’’ he said.
If the hamstring injuries linger for Jones and Brents, a heavier load shifts to rookie Johnathan Edwards and Alex Johnson, who are getting reps with the No. 1 defense.
The injuries, noted Anarumo, “just create opportunities for everybody. Those guys are going to get a ton of reps in these next two preseason games. It’s going to benefit us down the road. Both guys are challenging. They’ve got their good moments and bad moments. That’s playing corner in this league.’’
Cross’ injury has led to more playing time for rookie Hunter Wohler. The seventh-round pick out of Wisconsin had two interceptions in the joint practice with Baltimore and had a team-high seven tackles in 34 snaps in the preseason game with the Ravens.
Scouting Shrader
We’ll remain cautiously optimistic regarding Spencer Shrader until he proves otherwise. Special teams coordinator Brian Mason announced Shrader “had a leg up’’ on rookie Maddux Trujillo and would be doing the kicking against the Packers.
The obvious knock on Shrader is a limited body of work: 5-for-5 on field goals and 6-for-6 on PATs as a rookie in 2024 with the Colts, Jets and Chiefs.
As if to keep everyone on edge, Shrader pushed a 33-yard attempt wide right in Thursday’s practice but knocked down a 64-yarder.
You can follow Mike Chappell on Twitter at @mchappell51.