The Indianapolis Colts began the preseason with a 24-16 loss at the hands of the Buffalo Bills on Thursday night at New Era Field, and there were some things we learned about the team.
Though it’s best to stay fluid, there are some storylines emerging—and continuing—from the Thursday night opener. From competitions getting deeper to players moving up and down the depth chart, there were plenty of things to learn.
Here are four things we learned from the Colts’ preseason opener:
Chad Kelly should be leading QB3 competition
With Andrew Luck and Jacoby Brissett full entrenched as the QB1 and QB2, respectively, there is a battle going on between Kelly and Phillip Walker for the QB3 spot on the depth chart.
While Walker was the first to come on in relief of Brissett on Thursday night, it was Kelly who shined the brightest. After showing out en route to completing 13-of-29 passes for 121 yards and then adding 54 yards on the ground and a rushing touchdown, Kelly should be the leader of the competition after the opener.
Things could change over the next month or so, but Kelly showed there is plenty to like about his game and ceiling as a backup. He certainly separated himself.
The WR room is still incredibly deep
Without T.Y. Hilton for the whole game and Devin Funchess for the majority of it, the rest of the wide receiver room got to show what they are about and how deep this position battle is.
The Colts had several wide receivers show flashes of potential. They were led by Daurice Fountain, whose five catches, seven targets and 63 receiving yards paced the room. Deon Cain and Marcus Johnson had some big plays while Zach Pascal made an impact on special teams.
There is a long way to go before the room is figured out, but there were a lot of strong outings on Thursday night.
E.J. Speed flies to the ball
The Colts started out with Bobby Okereke and Anthony Walker to begin the game in the middle of the defense, but Speed was quickly brought in, showing those flashes that we have seen in training camp.
His nose for the ball, aggression tackling through ball carriers and acceleration to get to the point of attack was incredible. Speed was flying all over the field showcasing why he’s a perfect fir for the defense.
The Colts seem to have a solid group of linebackers that can help make up the nucleus of the defense, and Speed has a high ceiling to be a productive member of the unit.
Interior D-Line can be stout
The Colts didn’t have their starters at the three-technique or the one-technique on the field for the opener, but the depth players showed they have a role to play in the front seven. Most notably, Grover Stewart and Tyquan Lewis spent the entire game constantly getting into the backfield and applying pressure on the quarterback.
Stewart was a bully when he was playing the shade or head up on the center. Lewis was quick off the snap while showing some flexibility to collapse the top of the pocket. Jihad Ward also didn’t have too bad of a night.
The Colts pass rush has some big question marks, but the interior defensive line appears to be a pretty stout unit.
