The preseason is no place for presumed starters in the NFL. Instead of risking them to injury, the Indianapolis Colts and other teams mostly play their backups and let those players battle each other for roster spots. Not so much for Indy in preseason Week 3 against the Detroit Lions, though.
For a short time, and maybe only part of the first quarter, Indianapolis fans will see a glimpse of what the regular season could look like. Quarterback Daniel Jones and wide receivers Alec Pierce and Josh Downs aren't going to play, but the starting offensive line is. So will most, if not all, of the first-team defense.
That means defensive lineman DeForest Buckner is going to participate, at least for a handful of plays. So will recent free agent signing, wide receiver Keenan Allen. The hope is that neither player gets hurt, of course.
Indianapolis Colts fans have a lot to watch in preseason Week 3
But while the risk is low, the expectation shouldn't be that those players are so easily hurt that they can't even play a few plays in the preseason. Everyone needs reps, even if the snaps come in ultimately meaningless games.
Anthony Richardson is going to start at quarterback for the Colts, and he will likely be QB2 in 2026. With Daniel Jones' injury history, Richardson might be forced into action at some point in the regular season. This means what Indy fans are watching early against the Lions could become reality during the real games.
One obviously hopes that isn't the case, of course, but 2025 wasn't truly an outlier. The team suffered a ton of key injuries, and while so many important players getting hurt is unusual, what isn't is at least some players getting hurt. The first quarter of the Colts versus Detroit could be really close to Indianapolis versus (insert team name here) during the regular season.
But before we get too excited about what preseason Week 3, we should temper our excitement with the understanding that, as head coach Shane Steichen said in the days leading up to the game, the presumed starters will only play a series or two, or 8-12 plays, whichever comes first, and probably be gone before the second quarter when Riley Leonard replaces Richardson.
The second half will mostly be backups of backups, with many of those involved not making either the roster of the Indianapolis Colts or the Detroit Lions. They will be trying to catch the eye of other organizations or be forced to find employment outside of professional football.
Life in the NFL can be brutal. What won't be is seeing Indy's starters play a few downs on Saturday when Indianapolis plays Detroit.
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