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The good, the bad and the ugly from the Colts’ season opener against the Broncos


The good, the bad and the ugly from the Colts’ season opener against the Broncos

Not that wins and losses matter right now, but the Colts lost their first preseason game against the Denver Broncos 30-34.

The starters on both offense and defense mostly played two series. The starting offense struggled to get anything going and managed just one first down, while the defense looked pretty good.

For the second and third units on each side of the ball, it was a mixed bag with some good results and some not so good.

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Let’s take a look at the good, the bad and the ugly of the Colts’ performance on Sunday.

The good

As mentioned, the defense of the first team. Tyquan Lewis and Laiatu Latu were able to create pressure and slow down the running game. Meanwhile, Zaire Franklin was as always near the football and Kenny Moore was able to intercept a ball. Broncos starting quarterback Jarrett Stidham averaged just 5.3 yards per attempt, while Javonte Williams averaged just 3.8 yards per carry.

Clarity on the safety position? There were still a number of unknowns at the free safety position during the three-week training camp, but perhaps Nick Cross’ play in the season opener brought some clarity. Cross made three tackles on the day, including two solo tackles and an impressive one from open space. He also had a near interception and a pass deflection. Considering this is his third year in Gus Bradley’s defense, he looked solid at the back. Cross’ consistency will be key.

See Anthony Richardson on the football field. Richardson made 2/4 throws over 25 yards in the two series he was on the field in. He’ll have to shake off some rust as this is his first live game since Week 5 of last season, but having him back at center was a more than welcome sight.

As a collective, the Colts defense managed to gain three possessions. In addition to Kenny Moore’s interception, Cam McGrone forced a fumble, as did Micah Abraham, who also returned the ball for a touchdown.

The tight ends in the passing game. Three of the Colts’ five longest pass plays of the day came from the tight end position. Kylen Granson averaged 15.5 yards per pass on two catches, while Mo Alie-Cox caught one pass for 19 yards and Jelani Woods caught one for 17 yards.

The bad

Despite all the units, the Colts’ running game never really got going. On the day, the Colts managed just 64 total yards on the ground, averaging 2.8 yards per attempt. The longest run by a Colts running back on the day was a 10-yard run by Tyler Goodson. The next longest run was Evan Hull’s five-yard run.

The Colts’ running back depth is suffering: The Colts had two injured players in this game, both at the running back position. Trey Sermon was out with a hamstring injury and UDFA Trent Pennix was out with a groin injury. If both are out for practice, the Colts may have to add a player.

Players who didn’t help their training camp inventory: CB Dallis Flowers was penalized twice and allowed multiple completions. OT Blake Freeland appeared to allow several pressure situations and DT Eric Johnson jumped offsides and had trouble with the running game.

The Ugly

The second and third defense teams: After the Colts starters left the game, the Broncos offense was able to move the ball fairly easily. Denver scored 34 points in the final three quarters and gave up a total of 410 yards. This included Broncos rookie quarterback Bo Nix, who had a very efficient day, completing 15/21 passes for 125 yards with one touchdown.

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