1. Anthony Richardson Sr. made two impressive plays on Saturday – but they didn't actually count.
The one you're probably thinking of here is Richardson's spectacular completion to wide receiver Anthony Gould. Richardson avoided pressure to his left from Packers defensive end Arron Mosby, stepping up in the pocket to avoid a swipe and then drifting to his left. Richardson, with his body falling away from the far hashmark, uncorked a throw from about the 11-yard line across the field to Gould, who made an outstanding over-the-shoulder catch at midfield.
The play was called back, though, because wide receiver Adonai Mitchell was lined up offside.
A couple things here. First, right after the pressure from Mosby, running back D.J. Giddens flashed open down the far sideline on a wheel route. Maybe Richardson could've hit him; head coach Shane Steichen didn't sound too worried that he didn't given the quick pressure he had to negotiate.
"I think he had to move in the pocket to make that play," Steichen said. "It was a scramble play, and that's what he saw, so he hit Gould on that play."
Second, had this play counted, it would've been a massive conversion on third-and-two in a two-minute situation. The Colts would've had the ball at midfield with about a minute left in the first half, and Richardson would've had a chance to finish the drive with points.
"It was a great throw, and it was a great catch by Anthony (Gould)," Steichen said. "I mean, it was phenomenal over the shoulder. It was a big-time play right there but obviously got called back."
There was another impressive Richardson play that didn't count, though, which happened earlier in the second quarter. This one didn't wind up in the box score, though, because the Colts accepted a holding penalty on the Packers.
Still, facing a third-and-nine at the Packers' 24-yard line, the Packers brought a six-man pressure against a five-man protection. Richardson felt that pressure at the top of his drop and stepped up, slipping around defensive lineman Warren Brinson (who was being pancaked by center Tanor Bortolini) and escaping up the middle.
Richardson hit linebacker Isiaah Simmons with a stiff arm about a yard behind the line of scrimmage, then accelerated ahead before Simmons brought him down from behind. He wound up gaining nine yards on the play – it might've required a measurement to determine if he got the first down or not – but it was an impressive showing of Richardson's speed and strength.
2. Daniel Jones rebounded for a solid second, and final, drive.
Jones looked to have the Colts on the move with a play-action flip to tight end Mo Alie-Cox on his first play from scrimmage, with Alie-Cox rumbling 19 yards to the Colts' 48-yard line.
His next pass was tipped as he released it by defensive lineman Karl Brooks, and it fell incomplete short of wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. Jones and Bortolini then had a fumbled exchange on the next snap, leading to a third-and-13. Jones, on that third and long, overthrew tight end Tyler Warren, who flashed open on an out-and-up route downfield.
"You miss someone like that, you definitely go back and say, 'I got to make the throw,' for sure," Jones said. "I think that's always the case."
Steichen, though, was pleased with how Jones responded to that stalled first drive.
Jones completed six of eight passes on his second and final possession for 82 yards, throwing with rhythm and accuracy to lead the Colts on a drive that ended with a short Spencer Shrader field goal. That second drive was sparked by Jones dropping a 25-yard strike to Warren down the near sideline.
"The first one – we missed that big one on third down, but he came back on those other things and he was efficient throwing the football," Steichen said. "I think he had the one early where it got tipped, where he had Pittman, if that ball doesn't get tipped – (it's a) completion. But I thought he bounced back, found completions, and then hit Warren for the big one down the boundary. I thought he had a clean operation."
Steichen said Saturday he's nearing a decision on who his starting quarterback will be. And whether it's Jones or Richardson, a big part of his evaluation will be on the stuff that happens before either quarterback takes the snap on a given play.
"I think it's everything, right – the operation, the communication in the huddle, the checks, getting guys on the same page," Steichen said. "The consistency of all that, obviously, is going to play a big factor in this."
3. Injuries are piling up, but there's still time for plenty of those guys to get healthy for Week 1.
Several Colts players did not play Saturday due to injuries that occurred in practice or the team's preseason opener: Wide receiver Alec Pierce (groin), left tackle Bernhard Raimann (ankle), defensive ends Samson Ebukam (back) and Kwity Paye (groin), linebacker Jaylon Carlies (ankle), cornerbacks JuJu Brents (hamstring), Jaylon Jones (hamstring) and Kenny Moore II (knee) and safety Nick Cross (hip pointer).
Then on Saturday, the Colts lost safety Hunter Wohler (foot), right tackle Braden Smith (groin), running back Tyler Goodson (elbow), tackle Blake Freeland (leg), cornerback Jonathan Edwards (concussion) and linebacker Jacob Phillips (bicep). Freeland sustained a broken leg, Steichen said; if the Colts place him on injured reserve before roster cut-down day, his season will be over.
Linebacker Zaire Franklin did not play Saturday, while other Colts starters did, though Steichen said the Colts were "holding" him as he continues to work his way back from offseason ankle surgery.
The Colts' cornerback depth has been significantly depleted over the last few weeks – that list doesn't include rookie Justin Walley, who was in line to start before he sustained a torn ACL in the Colts' joint practice with the Baltimore Ravens. Edwards, an undrafted rookie, had flashed a few times in practice – even with the first-team defense – but will have to progress through the concussion protocol before he can practice and play again.
While Freeland's injury was significant – he was competing with rookie Jalen Travis to be the Colts' backup swing tackle – Steichen indicated the Colts, for the most part, should be in good shape health-wise when they open the 2025 regular season in three weeks against the Miami Dolphins at Lucas Oil Stadum.
"I think there's time," Steichen said. "I mean we've got three weeks. We've got this week, we've got another week and then we've got another the following week going into Miami week. I think we'll get healed up."
4. Chris Lammons was the next man up at cornerback and made some plays.
Lammons re-joined the Colts during training camp after spending the last two seasons in Indianapolis. He started two games – one apiece in 2023 and 2024 – and, while he was primarily a special teamer, he was Moore's backup at slot corner.
Against the Packers, Lammons played 35 snaps and had Pro Football Focus' highest defensive grade (88.4) of the day for the Colts. He nearly had an interception and broke up two other passes; he had a sack and a tackle for a loss, too.
For a guy who signed with the Colts on Aug. 1, the impact he had in a game about two weeks later was notable.
"The coaches put me in the best position they could put me in," Lammons said. "The players around the facility and stuff – it's family oriented. They made sure when I was coming in – make sure I know what I'm doing. The coaches put me in the best position I could play in and just playing fast."
The Colts had previously used Walley as their backup slot corner; against the Ravens, 2024 practice squad member Alex Johnson started and had an interception. Neither Brents nor Jones has NFL experience in the slot, so figuring out who Moore's backup is will be an important question to answer heading into roster cuts – which are on Aug. 26. While Lammons doesn't have familiarity with Lou Anarumo and his defensive coaching staff, he's known in the building, and games like he had Saturday could help his case for a spot on the 53-man roster.
"I feel good," Lammons said. "Gotta get better. I've got to catch a couple of those balls, but I feel good about it."
5. Spencer Shrader had another good day kicking.
Colts special teams coordinator Brian Mason decided last week to give Shrader the entire Packers game; Shrader connected on 87 percent of the kicks the Colts charted in training camp and preseason prior to Saturday. Against the Packers, Shrader made four field goals – from 25, 29, 32 and 56 yards – as well as a PAT. All indications are he will be the Colts' kicker this season.
"I think it was a good day overall," Shrader said. "Obviously, take it one kick at a time. Preseason is about working with the guys and getting as familiar with the operation as you can. I just try to stay level-headed throughout the entire thing, and just do my best to make every kick and then prepare for the next opportunity."
Shrader has had a wild ride in his short NFL career to this point – he started with the Colts as an undrafted rookie last year, kicked in their season opener and then bounced on and off the Colts' practice squad for a few months. Shrader then kicked for the New York Jets for a week before the Kansas City Chiefs signed him for a couple of games (he hit a game-winning field goal in one of them). In March, Shrader signed back with the Colts; in April, the Colts released veteran Matt Gay, and Shrader has had to earn his role through a competition with undrafted rookie Maddux Trujillo this preseason.
I had a chance to sit down with Shrader this summer for an episode of The Colts Show podcast and learned a lot about his process and mentality to handle everything that's been thrown his way in the NFL. Check out the episode here.
