5 Things Learned: Colts Get Drubbed By Falcons

5 Things Learned: Colts Get Drubbed By Falcons

INDIANAPOLIS – Unlike the joint practices earlier in the week, the Colts got manhandled by the Falcons on Saturday afternoon inside of Lucas Oil Stadium.

With hardly any starters playing, the Colts got smoked 34-6 by the Atlanta Falcons.

What was learned from the Colts second preseason game?

FIVE THINGS LEARNED

-Placekicker Battle Really On: Two long distance makes by Spencer Shrader coupled with a bad short miss from Blake Grupe was easily the most notable Week 1 related storyline from Sunday. How will the Colts weigh the in-game kicking Spencer Shrader has shown in August compared to the stark difference between him and Grupe in practices? That added another major layer on Saturday, as Shrader connected from 48 and 53 yards. It’s my thought the Colts are pretty enamored with the potential of Shrader, and think he has a higher ceiling than Grupe. But the consistency of Grupe has been rather remarkable since he’s joined the Colts. Really, Saturday was the first true negative Grupe has had since signing with the Colts late last year, missing wide right from 36 yards out. I’ll be very curious to see how the Colts handle this one in next Saturday’s preseason finale and then roster cuts to follow the next day.

-Riley Leonard Struggle Again: What a rough 2026 preseason for Riley Leonard. The second-year quarterback got the start on Saturday but led a pretty ugly offensive performance in the first half. Certainly, pass protection problems didn’t aid Leonard’s effort. It’s not like Leonard had some wild inaccuracy on Saturday or turnovers, but missing Coleman Owen on an easy third-down pickup wasn’t good. Leonard finished the day going 7-of-14 for 62 yards. I still think the Colts keep both of these two quarterbacks on the 53-man roster but I don’t believe Leonard should have any sort of firm grip on the backup spot.

-Not Much From Anthony Richardson Sr.: Playing with the third team in the second preseason game, Anthony Richardson Sr. finished the afternoon 3-of-9 for 24 yards. His legs were needed a lot as he was under a good amount of pressure. Richardson did lead a 13-play drive, easily the longest of the day, but also was fortunate to avoid a potential pick six interception deep in the Colts territory. I don’t think Richardson was as egregiously bad as the box score would indicate on Saturday, but he definitely didn’t have anywhere near the number of positives that he had in the preseason opener. Now, how does Shane Steichen handle these two in the preseason finale coming next Saturday? The thought is the Colts might play a few more starters against the Lions, but how will they go about the QB position? Daniel Joens isn’t going to play, and they’ve already split the reps between for Leonard and Richadson through the first two preseason games. Should the starter for that Lions game be viewed as the favorite to be the backup?

-CJ Allen Makes NFL Debut: While Saturday wasn’t about much for the frontline guys, it did bring the NFL debut for rookie linebacker CJ Allen. The Colts started linebackers Jaylon Carlies and Austin Ajiake (with veteran Akeem Davis-Gaither once again sitting). Allen then subbed in on the second series with Bryce Boettcher. There wasn’t too much to notice from him in his snaps, as he was part of several Colts to get swallowed up on a 49-yard touchdown run by Atlanta’s Tyler Goodson. Boettcher did have a really nice run stop behind the line of scrimmage. How Lou Anarumo deploys these 5 linebackers come September is a great unknown. He says a good amount of rotating is likely. What it means for Allen, thought to be a definite Day 1 starter back in April, is even more of a mystery.

-Who Stood Out? Not going to lie, little tougher to single out many individuals in the positive category this preseason contest. I guess that’s the case when you get smoked 34-6. I did think 7th round pick Deion Burks showed a few more flashes than we’ve seen in camp. But his path to a 53-man roster spot remains murky without punt return duties (compared to a guy like Coleman Owen). We can’t fake standouts, so I have to mention here the Colts need to see more from 2025 second-round pick Jaylahn Tuimoloau. For the second straight game, Tuimoloau wasn’t very noticeable. Concerns are there for the Colts reserve units along the offensive line and at cornerback, with Mekhi Blackmon having flag issues. Saturday had the Colts put out a starting lineup with maybe one Week 1 starter actually playing (LB-Jaylon Carlies), resting even more frontline guys than they did in the preseason opener. The thought is a few more starters will play in next Saturday’s preseason finale.

QUICK HITTERS

Starting Offense: QB-Riley Leonard, RB-Seth McGowan, LT-Blake Freeland, LG-Dalton Tucker, C-Josh Kreutz, RG-Jimmy Morrisey, RT-Josh Sills, TE-Pharaoh Brown, WR-Coleman Owen, WR-Laquon Treadwell, WR-Nick Westbrook-Ikhine

Starting Defense: DE-Jaylahn Tuimolaou, DT-Jerry Tillery, DT-Derrick Nnadi, DE-George Gumbs Jr., LB-Austin Ajiake, LB-Jaylon Carlies, CB-Cam Taylor-Britt, CB-Mekhi Blackmon, CB-Rob Carter Jr., S-Hunter Wohler, S-Jonathan Owens

Injury Report: The following Colts left Saturday’s game due to injury:

What’s Next: The Colts are done with training camp in Westfield. They’ll return to their facility and mimic a regular season week, practicing Tuesday-Thursday, with their preseason finale on Saturday against the Lions. The final roster cut from 90 to 53 is Sunday, August 30^th.

5 Things Learned: Colts Get Drubbed By Falcons was originally published on 1075thefan.com