The Indianapolis Colts lost to the Atlanta Falcons in preseason Week 2 in fairly ugly fashion. But none of that matters. What really matters is the players who might have made their cases to make the roster and those who didn't.
Also, one loser not on the list below is the broadcast from the game. The Colts crew handled that, and whoever was in charge of the mixing should be fired. The announcers were rarely loud enough (was an intern running the board?), though if you turned the sound up on your streaming device or TV, you would have noticed the background noise was fine. F- for the broadcast team.
Otherwise, Indy could have lost 70-0, and it wouldn't have mattered. The team did trail 31-6 at one point, but the individual play was the important part (thankfully).
Winners and losers from the Indianapolis Colts loss in preseason Week 2
Winner: Running back Seth McGowan
What seems clear is that McGowan, who has had a tremendous training camp, is just going to make the team, but he will be Jonathan Taylor's immediate backup. He moves piles, and with better blocking behind the Colts' first-team offensive line, McGowan has flashed that he would be quite productive.
He hasn't yet produced a high average yards per rush, but he doesn't need to. McGowan runs confidently, knows his assignments, and would be a good replacement for Taylor if Indy's superstar has to miss time with an injury.
Loser: Cornerback Mekhi Blackmon
Through the first two games of the preseason, not only has Blackmon shown he shouldn't come close to being a starter (and he started 11 games in 2025), but he doesn't need to be on the roster. He has been terrible. Teams are targeting him and, again, it's only the preseason. If he had been playing regular season games, the result would have been ugly.
The Falcons began their first drive by targeting Blackmon, and he allowed an easy 15-yard completion. He gave up more after that, and he also had a pass interference penalty called on him when the Falcons went for a touchdown on fourth-and-goal. Blackmon was guilty, as he didn't turn his head around.
At this point, keeping Blackmon on the roster would be wrong. He can't be trusted, even in preseason games.
Winner: Wide receiver Coleman Owen
Owen might barely be hanging on to a roster spot after Indy signed veteran wide receiver Keenan Allen, but he did make a splash in the first half when he ran a fantastic route that resulted in a 39-yard catch and short run. He isn't a big receiver, but he could find a spot in the slot.
He is quick enough to beat his defender, and on intermediate routes he could be productive, even in limited reps. He even had a 16-yard punt return in the fourth quarter. Owen might be more of a candidate for the practice squad, but he has one more preseason game to prove he belongs on the roster.
Loser: Center Josh Kreutz
If something happens to the starter Tanor Bortolini, the Colts are in trouble. Kruetz would appear to be his backup, but he has had snap issues in training camp, and he did so again with Indy backed up inside its own 5-yard line in the second quarter. The ball ended up on the ground, but thankfully Riley Leonard was able to pick the ball up and gain two yards.
Before that, Kreutz had negated a nice throw by Leonard for a first down as Kreutz was called for holding. He has been awful and needs to be released when final roster cuts are made. That he is presumed backup to Bortolini is a wretched possibility.
Winner: Running back Anderson Castle
Sure, his blocking was backups to backups, but he was also going against Falcon defenders who are backups to backups. The point is to stand out when given the chance. Castle has done that as best he can. He is a strong runner with a nose for the end zone. Had he gotten the ball a bit more, he would have produced more, but so far, he hasn't been given the chance.
The top two of the Indianapolis Colts running back room are seemingly set with Jonathan Taylor and Seth McGowan. DJ Giddens is probably RB3, but should he be, based on his limited time in the NF?. Castle is a more powerful back, and he needs good reps in preseason Week 3 to see if he can beat out Giddens. Castle finished with eight carries for 41 yards.
Loser: Quarterback Anthony Richardson
It is difficult to blame Richardson for what happened in the second half. As with Riley Leonard in preseason Week 1, Richardson simply had no good blocking in front of him when he took over after halftime.
Still, he held on to the ball too long, taking a bad sack on one occasion instead of trying to take off and run, and it is that kind of indecisiveness that implies Richardson cannot be trusted with QB1 reps. His receivers did drop a couple of passes, but even while getting blown out in the fourth quarter, Indy seemed OK with Richardson only throwing the ball short. Doing anything more would have been bad.
Winner: The entire starting offensive line for the Indianapolis Colts
Until Richardson ran for a first down on third down and short in the fourth quarter, the Colts had not picked up a first down on nine third-down tries. That isn't a quarterback problem, but an offensive line one. The good part is that Indianapolis's starting offensive line is good, but that backups stink.
If an injury or two happens along the offensive line, the offense is sunk. No fix exists for this issue, as the roster is what it is, but it does appear to show once more that general manager Chris Ballard can find some decent starters but has little clue on how to build quality depth.
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