Fans of the Indianapolis Colts sweated out a warm, mid-August afternoon practice session where the team was joined by the Green Bay Packers. However, what had the fans sweating wasn't so much the 80-degree temperatures as much as it was the lackluster performance of the offense and another bite from the injury bug.
Missing from practice due to injury for the Colts were wide receiver Alec Pierce and center Danny Pinter. The defense was missing defensive end Kwity Paye, safety Nick Cross, cornerbacks JuJu Brents, Jaylon Jones, and Kenny Moore, along with linebacker Jaylon Carlies. Late in practice, receiver Josh Downs left with what appears to be a minor hamstring injury.
Although the defense was missing eight players, they were the bright spot of the day for the Colts. Laiatu Latu, the Colts' 2024 first-round pick, sacked Green Bay quarterback Malik Willis on the first pass play. Add to that the complete disruption of the first Packers run play, and Zaire Franklin hitting the gap to stuff star running back Josh Jacobs, the defense had itself a strong showing.
The Indianapolis Colts' battle for QB1 didn't play out
Highlights included a nice completion towards the sideline from Jones to WR AD Mitchell, and Richardson laying one out in the end zone for a touchdown by receiver Anthony Gould. Late in the session, Richardson successfully turned a two-minute drill into a TD and two-point conversion.
Daniel Jones threw an interception during his attempt at the two-minute drill. The offensive line was abysmal against a less-than-elite Packers defense. Both Jones and Richardson were sacked a combined 4 times in the early going, and both men had very little time in the pocket.
This, in part, resulted in passes that were off the mark. Richardson had a deep pass picked off by Jonathan Baldwin of the Packers, and the Colts' receivers dropped passes and fumbled ones they did haul in. Outside of a couple of plays, the Indianapolis run game was virtually non-existent.
The Indianapolis Colts' kickers, Spencer Shrader and Maddux Trujillo, had their time on the field as well. There were four field goal attempts total, and they were successful from 39, 45, and 63 yards. Shrader had the lone miss from 33 yards out.
Preseason is the time when teams should work out the wrinkles to ensure a more solid performance when it counts. Questions begin to get answered and confidence rises. For the Colts, and their fans, are once again left with more questions than answers.