Colts Blasted By Falcons, Show Concerning Lack of Depth

INDIANAPOLIS — The Indianapolis Colts returned to Lucas Oil Stadium on Saturday for their second game of the preseason, but the warm homecoming feelings were short-lived.

The Colts were completely disjointed on offense and leaky on defense, allowing the Atlanta Falcons to smother them 34-6.

The Colts didn't turn the ball over, but they were 1-of-11 on third downs and made just one trip to the red zone, which resulted in a missed field goal. The team also had eight penalties accepted against them.

The Colts won the opening kickoff and elected to receive. There was a productive runback by Deion Burks on the play, but a holding penalty cost them 10 yards, putting their starting field position at the 18-yard line.

After a 4-yard run on first down by running back Seth McGowan, the drive was derailed a couple of plays later when guard Dalton Tucker was called for holding, forcing the Colts into 3rd-and-16 from their own 12-yard line. McGowan got a 7-yard run and the Colts then punted.

Atlanta chipped away at the Colts' defense on the following drive, accruing 29 yards in eight plays, as kicker Nick Folk converted a 51-yard field goal to give the Falcons the early 3-0 lead with 9:03 remaining in the first quarter.

The Colts answered with their own field goal, as a 39-yard catch-and-run by receiver Coleman Owen on a throw from from quarterback Riley Leonard sparked the offense. McGowan also had runs of five and six yards on the drive, which resulted in a 48-yard field goal by kicker Spencer Shrader. That made it a 3-3 tie with 5:51 left in the first quarter.

Colts rookie linebacker CJ Allen and Bryce Boettcher checked in at linebacker on the defense's second drive, replacing Austin Ajiake and Jaylon Carlies, respectively. Ultimately, the linebacker duos would rotate drives throughout the first half.

It didn't take long for Atlanta to put points on the board once again, as they got a 49-yard run down the left side by former Colts running back Tyler Goodson for a touchdown. Right-side defensive linemen Jaylahn Tuimoloau and Jerry Tillery were well out of position to make the play, and linebacker CJ Allen was stuck on his block, which allowed for a huge hole. That made the score 10-3, with 3:50 left in the first quarter.

The Colts were able to string together another field goal drive after a pair of defensive pass interference and unnecessary roughness penalties by the Falcons gave the Colts 31 yards, getting them barely into field goal range. Shrader knocked in a 53-yard attempt to cut the lead to 10-6 with 2:04 remaining in the first quarter.

Atlanta went methodical on the ensuing drive, but Colts cornerback Mekhi Blackmon gave them plenty of assistance, with two defensive pass interference calls; one of which was declined. The other occurred in the end zone on fourth down, giving the Falcons' offense new life and allowing them to take a commanding 17-6 lead with a one-yard score from running back Nathan Carter, with 10:20 remaining in the first half.

The teams really began to struggle for the remainder of the half, exchanging four punts (three of which were three-and-outs), with a 13-yard touchdown from Falcons quarterback Jack Strand to Cash Jones sandwiched in.

Atlanta went into halftime up 24-6.

Strand and the Falcons' offense tore through Indy's defense on the opening drive of the second half, with completions of 21 yards, 36 yards, and then a 16-yard run by Strand to go up 31-6.

With Anthony Richardson Sr. replacing Leonard at quarterback, the offense fared no better in the third quarter, experiencing two three-and-outs with a Falcons turnover on downs in between.

Atlanta continued pouring it on in the fourth quarter, as their final drive of the third quarter bled over, resulting in a 50-yard field goal from Folk to extend the lead to 34-6.

The two sides exchanged punts once more until the Colts missed a field goal to officially take all the wind out of their sails. It was Blake Grupe who missed his 37-yard attempt wide right. Grupe is now 47-of-53 (88.7%) on kicks from mandatory minicamp, training camp, and the preseason, while Shrader is 39-of-55 (70.9%). However, Shrader is 4-of-4 (100.0%) in the preseason, while Grupe is 0-of-2 (0.0%).

The Falcons ran the clock out on the next and final drive.