Things Colts must show in joint practices with the Lions to prove the season will be promising

2. Receivers must make plays

It hasn’t been a great start to the year for the Colts’ receivers. After making some explosive catches early in camp, the wideouts have since become inconsistent and are dominated by Indy’s defense every day.

It’s one thing to lose to your own defense, cause at least that means one unit is really good, but it’s troubling to struggle against other teams. That’s what happened in Indianapolis’ first preseason game against the Buffalo Bills. The top receivers had an uneventful few series.

Frank Reich admitted that Indy didn’t really open the playbook, so guys may not have been as open as they will be in the regular season, but the young guys still need to learn to be better against press coverage. Well, this will be a great opportunity for the receivers to prove themselves and take another step.

Indy’s offense doesn’t have to face off against a Colts defense that is expected to be elite, so there will be limited excuses for a lackluster week. Whatever the team needs to do, the receivers must show up in these practices against Detroit to prove that Indy will be able to effectively pass the ball once the regular season starts.

If it is obvious that the Lions are getting the best of Indianapolis’ young wide receiver group in these two practices, there will be a lot of panic surrounding the Colts and their passing attack as the season approaches.