The Indianapolis Colts wrapped up their first preseason game Saturday so it’s time to overreact to what happened!
Jokes aside, most of the offense was underwhelming, and the defense rebounded after letting some backups march down the field.
There shouldn’t be much that should be read into Week 1 of the preseason but regardless here are five takeaways from the Colts’ matchup with the Buffalo Bills:
1
Matt Ryan's day
It certainly wasn’t rainbows and butterflies for the debut of Matt Ryan for the Colts. Their new quarterback and the rest of the offense failed to establish any rhythm and struggled to stay on the field more times than not.
It wasn’t all on Ryan’s shoulders though. The receivers struggled with drops and the offense was of course without Jonathan Taylor. Ryan finished the day going 6-of-10 passing for 58 yards.
His head coach, Frank Reich, was happy with his new quarterback’s debut. He told Colts reporter, Larra Overton, “I thought Matt (Ryan) looked sharp. Hit all his throws on the money.”
There still is much to want more from the new Indianapolis passing attack but it should be kept in mind that Reich isn’t game planning like he would in the regular season and the most important part, Ryan left the game healthy.
2
Is it already time to bring in a veteran receiver?
The reason why most will be disappointed in the performance of the Colts’ offense when Matt Ryan was on the field was the lack of production against the Bills’ backups.
Outside of their first-round pick, Kaiir Elam, Buffalo sat all of their key players on both sides of the ball. Only three receivers saw snaps when Ryan was in the game. Michael Pittman Jr. had a fine day with two catches for 30 yards on three targets.
Alec Pierce had his ups and downs. He looked the part but struggled to get any separation against a fellow rookie, Kaiir Elam, on the first third down play which led to a loss on a contested catch. Pierce caught two balls for 27 yards on three targets.
Parris Campbell only saw a couple of targets but made a crucial drop on a third-and-four situation. Even when Nick Foles was in with the likes of Pierce, Ashton Dulin, and Keke Coutee, the receivers were struggling to create separation for their quarterback. Coutee did leave the game with a groin injury.
I still think that Pierce will have a good rookie season but based on a simple overreaction from the first preseason game, Chris Ballard might want to start reaching out to veterans in the market.
3
Turnovers!!!
The Colts and the Bills had a peak preseason game when it comes to sloppy football on the offensive side of the ball. The two teams combined for seven turnovers but the day favored the Indianapolis defense who forced five of them. It all started with a tip drill when a ball went through Jamison Crowder’s hands up in the air and Rodney McLeod was able to bring it in for the pick.
The starting unit would later go on when Bobby Okereke and Julian Blackmon teamed up to force a fumble that Isaiah Rodgers was able to recover. The forced fumbles didn’t stop there. The next drive by the Buffalo offense. Kameron Cline did a nice job coming off the edge to knock the ball out of Case Keenum’s hand which led to a recovery by Curtis Brooks.
The last couple of turnovers were from interceptions. Isaiah Rodgers continued his playmaking ways and jumped on a route in the red zone to get the ball. It was another tipped ball drive for the Colts when they forced their fifth turnover when the rookie UDFA, Sterling Weatherford made a diving effort to secure the pick after it went through a Bills receiver’s hands.
If this game was any indication then it doesn’t look like the Colts’ defense is going to stop their turnover ways.
4
How did the tight end rotation look?
A couple of the things I mentioned that people should watch for was who was taking the snaps with Matt Ryan. While we shouldn’t overreact to the play on the field, it is definitely notable to pay attention to those that were on the field with the starting quarterback. To no surprise, Mo Alie-Cox was the starting tight end when the offense hit the field. He was not targeted.
When the Colts went to two tight end sets with Ryan, Kylen Granson was on the field with Alie-Cox. Granson did get some snaps with Nick Foles as well and he grabbed two receptions for 29 yards on a couple of targets.
Despite the struggles by the offense, due to the Rodney McLeod interception, we were able to get a small sample size of the three tight end sets. Andrew Ogletree did get snaps over Jelani Woods when the Indianapolis offense had red zone snaps under Ryan.
Ogletree was only targeted twice and he had a reception for five yards. Later in the game when Ryan was on the sidelines, he did get a touchdown grab on a screen, but it was called back due to a penalty. Even though it didn’t count, it was a nice play by the rookie.
Woods has more work to do to earn the trust of the coaching staff but he did make a nice grab for a touchdown in the second half. He had two catches for 22 yards and a score in his debut.
It’s still early but it is clear that the current tight end depth chart is:
- Mo Alie-Cox
- Kylen Granson
- Andrew Ogletree
- Jelani Woods
5
Best Second Half Performer
There might not be a lot that you can takeaway from the first preseason game as a whole, let alone the second half of the game. With that being said, it is still important because the players on the field are fighting for a spot on the roster or at least a chance for a spot on a different roster. When you look at the Colts’ quarterback room, there is no doubt that Matt Ryan and Nick Foles will be on the final 53-man roster. But what about Sam Ehlinger?
There doesn’t seem much logic to keeping three quarterbacks on the roster but Chris Ballard and the front office loved the kid’s moxie when they selected him. Ehlinger put together a solid performance when he took over for Foles in the second half and showed some qualities that coaches seek in a backup.
He didn’t show any nerves, looked ready for the moment, and did a good job at sustaining drives when he was on the field. Ehlinger showcased his mobility when he moved the chains with his legs and was able to shake off pressure to find Jelani Woods for his first touchdown.
Ehlinger finished his day going 10/11 for 88 yards and two touchdowns. He also had four rushes for 26 yards. I’m not sure what the future plans are for him but Ballard and Frank Reich are going to have to make a decision when final cuts are due.
