The Indianapolis Colts hosted the Arizona Cardinals on Saturday for the final game inside Lucas Oil Stadium until Week 1 of the regular season, and they came out on top with a 21-13 victory.
With the two teams coming together this week for joint practices on Wednesday and Thursday, which gave their players plenty of important reps, the vast majority of starters did not play, with a couple of subtle exceptions.
— The Colts did not escape this preseason matchup unscathed, as starting cornerback JuJu Brents (nose), tight end Jelani Woods (toe), and offensive lineman Josh Sills (ankle) all left early. The rest of the preseason feels critical for both Woods and Sills, as they are part of heated positional battles where others have stepped up. Rookie interior offensive lineman Tanor Bortolini (toe) also left early in the fourth quarter.
— As for starters who saw action on Saturday, tight end Drew Ogletree played some in the first quarter. Between him, Kylen Granson, and Mo Alie-Cox, they may all be starters throughout the year based on situational roles that the Colts gameplan. Defensively, Nick Cross played for much of the first half at strong safety, and Brents played as well up until leaving with what was described by the broadcast as "facial bleeding," later to be designated as a nose injury. Brents has been the unquestioned CB2 for the team all offseason, but Cross is currently trying to fend off Rodney Thomas II and Ronnie Harrison as the other starting safety alongside Julian Blackmon.
— Speaking of Cross, this was one of the best performances we've seen from him in a game, whether it be preseason or regular season. Playing in the box as strong safety allowed him to roam sideline to sideline and close on the ball quickly. On one play in particular, he stuffed a Cardinals running back at the line of scrimmage and ended the play before it could really get going.
— Another pair of young defenders that had strong performances were defensive end Isaiah Land and defensive tackle Adetomiwa Adebawore. Both players had a sack each and combined for 3 tackles for loss and 4 hits on the quarterback.
— Colts QB3 Sam Ehlinger has endeared himself to fans for being a standout player each preseson, and he gave a bit of that razzle dazzle on Saturday during one particular play. While nearly in the grasp of multiple defenders, he juked and escaped pressure, giving himself enough room to heave the ball downfield for a 22-yard gain to Tyrie Cleveland.
— QB Jason Bean had plenty of nice moments, leading the Colts in passing yardage with 94 yards (10.4 YPA) on 7-of-9 passing (7.8 YPA) (but also with an interception). His ability to escape pressure and find receivers downfield does not go unnoticed.
— This was overall a poor day for Brents, discounting the injury. As a starter playing against Arizona's backups, he was flagged for an unquestionable defensive pass interference call for 10 yards on the first play of the game and then missed a tackle that would've halted a 19-yard run by Cardinals running back Trey Benson before it advanced as far. And then, Brents ultimately left with the nose injury.
— Dalton Tucker, Bortolini, and Danny Pinter all stood out as players who had some nice blocks to open up productive runs. Woods did as well before leaving with his toe injury. An offensive lineman who did not have a good night was second-year tackle Blake Freeland, who added another chapter to an ugly summer. With a rough outing last week against the Denver Broncos and some hiccups this week in practice against the Cardinals, Freeland fell down on his own on one play on Saturday, allowing his defender to jump over him and sack the quarterback. Shortly after, Freeland was flagged for holding and the Colts threw an interception on the very next play.
— The Colts' primary depth running backs all stepped up and had solid nights with Jonathan Taylor not playing and Trey Sermon out with a hamstring injury. Evan Hull, Tyler Goodson, and Zavier Scott all averaged over 5.0 yards per carry, combining for 116 yards and 2 touchdowns on 21 carries.
— We've reached the point where we have to talk about kicker Matt Gay and his drop-off since last season. He missed one field goal last week and two more on Saturday.
Next week, the Colts will travel to Ohio for a joint practice with the Cincinnati Bengals on Tuesday before playing the preseason finale on Thursday.
