There aren't many worse ways that the preseason could have realistically started for the Indianapolis Colts in their 24-16 loss to the Baltimore Ravens. To get the elephant in the room out of the way, yes, Anthony Richardson having half of his pinky nearly bent at a right angle is what is being alluded to here.
Luckily for the young gunslinger, it has been confirmed to just be a dislocation and not a full break, but the injury does nothing to alleviate concerns of him being made of glass.
While the preseason isn't traditionally looked at as an essential part of the football cycle for most teams, the Colts this year were the exception. There's been an ongoing quarterback battle between Anthony Richardson and recently brought in Daniel Jones, and head coach Shane Steichen had made it known that the preseason first team reps would be split between the two.
Daniel Jones is by far the biggest winner for the Indianapolis Colts versus the Ravens
Richardson getting hurt was undoubtedly nothing short of disastrous for the team's evaluation of his play, but thankfully, he should be back in no time due to it just being a dislocation. However, let's take a broader look at the night for Indianapolis. Were there any other Colts who had big nights? Here are three winners and two losers from the game.
Winner: Daniel Jones
Yes, everyone knew it was coming. Richardson's misfortune couldn't have happened at a better time for Daniel Jones (though he definitely feels for his teammate). Injuries are an unfortunate occurrence, but they're part of football, as young quarterback Anthony Richardson knows only too well.
Richardson got hurt on only the second drive of the game, and Jones commanded the team for the rest of the first half. So, how did the disgraced New York quarterback do in his first appearance with his new team? Well, to be frank, it was a performance very reminiscent of his days as a giant. In a word: mediocre.
Jones finished the day at a milquetoast 10 for 21 (a paltry 47 percent completion percentage) with no touchdowns. He led the team to two scoring drives ending in field goals, and that number would have risen to three had second-year kicker Spencer Shrader not missed another field goal from 52 yards out.
In all, while Jones may not have had a spectacular performance with his play, he is a winner strictly because of Anthony Richardson's injury. Hopefully, Richardson is back as soon as possible, but until then, Jones has the opportunity to pull ahead in the race for the QB1 spot
Winner: Tyler Warren
Warren's night was a short one, but the highly touted rookie tight end seemed to be just as good as advertised in the game time he played in. Warren finished with the second-highest receiving yards on the team despite logging his last catch of the game on just the fourth drive for the Colts.
Warren's stat line came out to a perfect three catches on three targets, resulting in 40 yards. Most of those yards came in his longest catch of the night, a 23-yard reception where his finding of a hole in the defense seemed Kelce-esque.
Obviously, the Ravens weren't playing their defense at anywhere near full strength, but if today's performance is any indication of the type of player Tyler Warren is going to be in the NFL, things are looking good for the rookie
Honorable Mentions:
Before we get to the final winner of the day, there are two more Colts who deserve to be recognized for their performances. Ashton Dulin was the leading receiver for the day, reeling in three of seven targets for 54 yards. One of those receptions was the longest any Colt had in the day, at 25 yards.
Rookie quarterback Riley Leonard also deserves a shoutout, as he led the team to their only touchdown drive of the day. He did throw an interception, but a few mistakes can only be expected from a rookie quarterback in their first NFL game. Leonard finished the day 12 for 24 passing for 92 yards.
He was by no means a world beater, but he did flash some promise for a Colts team that desperately needs it.
Winner: Joe Bachie
Bachie has been a standout performer for the Colts throughout all of training camp, and the sixth-year linebacker made his presence felt in the first preseason game of the year. Bachie finished the game with three total tackles, but he really stood out on one specific play where he nabbed an interception out of the air from Ravens quarterback Devin Leary.
Bachie may not have had the most productive career up until this point, but if he can keep up his high energy impact and create more splash plays like he did tonight, then the Colts might have just stumbled upon a gem.
Loser: Anthony Richardson
Who else could it have been? Richardson's career up until this point, all the way from his days in high school, has been that he has all the traits anyone could ever want, but he's never on the field. The main concern when Richardson entered the NFL was that he had barely played meaningful football snaps at all up until his final season at Florida, but the Colts bet on his upside and sent in the selection.
Unfortunately, that gamble has only been met with more of the same from Richardson. A flash in the pan, a jaw-dropping play that gets Colts fans salivating over his talent, and then all of a sudden, he's either made the most mind-boggling decision right after it, or he's injured and just simply not on the field.
Tonight was an odd combination of both. Though the edge rusher screaming into the backfield unblocked definitely wasn't his fault (and the Colts playing backup tackles while the starting quarterback was in didn't help), Richardson's awareness in the pocket was lacking. He never saw rusher David Ojabo as he hurtled towards him, and if he had, he might have been able to get rid of the ball before the devastating hit.
All together, Richardson's night can't be categorized as anything other than a failure. But then again, it seems to be par for the course for how his career has gone thus far. Was any Colts fan really surprised at what happened?
Loser: Colts Special Teams
Though it's often overlooked, special teams is a fundamental part of any successful team. In fact, with a poor enough special teams unit, no team can succeed. Look no further than the oft-laughed at 2010 Chargers, who famously led the league in total offense and defense, but missed the playoffs due to their abysmal special teams.
The Colts probably won't lead the league in offense or defense, but special teams could be the difference between whether the 2025 season will be looked at as a success or failure. Tonight, it was irrefutably a failure.
The unit let Keaton Mitchell rip off a nice 25-yard return after their first drive of the game, which already set a poor tone for the day, but there was far worse to come. After a short four plays on their fourth drive, the Colts were forced to punt to rookie returner LaJohntay Wester, who proceeded to run back an electrifying 87-yard punt return touchdown on just his second ever touch in the NFL.
Not an auspicious start to the year for the punt team.
However, their woes were not over for the day. In a game where the offense only managed to put 16 points on the board, Spencer Shrader took a potential three more points off of it, hitting the left upright on an attempt from 52 yards.
On a day when fortune seemed to be against the Indianapolis Colts from the very start, there were some definite silver linings. Still, Steichen and company are going to need to tighten up the ship if they want to be a successful team in 2025. After all, they might have to be if Steichen wants to keep his job moving forward