The Indianapolis Colts wrapped up Week 1 of the preseason in a 34-30 loss to the Denver Broncos.
This exhibition featured five turnovers between both teams but gave a level of excitement to both teams finding a variety of ways to put points on the board.
As far as Indianapolis, here are the five biggest takeaways from their first preseason outing:
Biggest takeaways from Colts' preseason opener
1. Quick day for the starters
Shane Steichen didn’t lie when he said that the starters were going to play a series or two. Two drives are what the starting offense and defense saw on Sunday afternoon. For the offense, it was a quiet performance.
They started with a quick three-and-out on the opening drive of the contest. It was a good start on their second drive when Anthony Richardson had some good ball placement on his throw to Mo Alie-Cox, which resulted in a 19-yard gain.
But they failed to move the sticks on the next set of downs when Kylen Granson came up a yard short on a third-and-seven. Despite not getting any positive momentum on offense, Joe Flacco and the rest of the second team took over on the third drive.
It was a much better day for the starters on the defensive side of the ball. They forced a punt on their first drive. To wrap up their day, Zaire Franklin and Kenny Moore II teamed up on a bobbled reception attempt by Samaje Perine.
Franklin’s hit on Perine helped keep the ball alive so Moore II could dive for the interception.
Kenny Moore II gets the interception for the #Coltspic.twitter.com/gdBKaJajEf
— Cody Manning (@CodyTalksNFL) August 11, 2024
2. Laiatu Latu looks the part
Outside of seeing Anthony Richardson’s return to the field, the much-anticipated Colt to see in the first preseason did not disappoint. He gave Denver’s left tackle Garrett Bolles fits. Latu was constantly getting pressure on the quarterback, which he did on the play, resulting in Kenny Moore II’s interception.
The box score (one tackle) won’t show Latu’s impact in his first preseason game but the first look at the first-round pick was very promising on what he will bring for the Indy defense in the regular season.
3. CB2 is Jaylon Jones’ job to lose
One of the competitions to monitor throughout the preseason is the battle between Jaylon Jones and Dallis Flowers for the starting boundary position opposite JuJu Brents. Because Brents was held out due to a minor shoulder issue, both players got on the field with the starting defense.
Jones had a great rep against Courtland Sutton when he utilized the sideline to create leverage and get up in the air for a pass breakup. He was among the starters who left the field after the second drive of the game from the Broncos’ offense.
It was a rough afternoon for Flowers. He struggled in coverage with two defensive pass-interference penalties, which both resulted in a touchdown and a field goal for Denver. He also had a mental error on the touchdown after his first penalty.
Nick Cross wanted to switch off on receivers but Flowers stuck with his original man which made it difficult for Cross to get over in coverage to prevent the score. Flowers clearly has more work to do if he wants to overtake Jones as the starter.
If there is no improvement from Flowers over the next two weeks, it might be time for Chris Ballard to consider bringing in a veteran cornerback to provide more depth in the position group.
4. Interior defensive line depth is a concern in run defense
It was deja vu for the Indy rush defense when the backups took over. Just like in 2023, when Grover Stewart came out of the lineup, the Broncos ran all over the defense and picked up chunk gains which led to scoring drives. This is a big concern for the regular season if Stewart has to miss any time.
Ideally, for the Colts' defense, Raekwon Davis would have made a difference if he was in the lineup. He has yet to be cleared to play as he is dealing with high blood pressure. Gus Bradley needs to see improvement from the rest of his backup interior defensive line over the next two weeks otherwise he will be sweating if Stewart and Davis aren’t available at any point in the regular season.
5. Micah Abrahamhad the play of the game
The play of the game for the Colts came from sixth-round pick Micah Abraham. In the middle of the third quarter, he made a great play when he stripped the ball from Audric Estime’s hands, recovered it, and showcased his speed when he took it to the house for a touchdown.
— Cody Manning (@CodyTalksNFL) August 11, 2024Micah Abraham strips the ball out of Audric Estime's hands and takes it to the house to give the #Colts a touchdown.
Great play by the rookie.pic.twitter.com/NCb3C2pNIK
It’s plays like this that can help him make the roster. Abraham finished with six tackles (three solo), a TFL, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery for a touchdown. This is a step in the right direction for him to push Chris Lammons for the backup nickel role.
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