Colts' Anthony Richardson, Rookies Headline Observations in Preseason Opener

The Indianapolis Colts battled the New England Patriots to a 13-13 tie on Thursday night at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass.

It was the Colts' first opportunity to play live after 10 training camp practices, including a joint practice with New England on Tuesday morning.

There were plenty of things to be optimistic about when it comes to the Colts, as well as some issues that exposed themselves.

Here are some significant takeaways from Thursday's contest.

Richardson has had a tumultuous training camp for the most part, struggling to consistently catch shotgun snaps, and his undisciplined footwork has led to inconsistent accuracy. There have been some improvements in those areas in the last week, and even though Thursday's game started out in chaotic fashion for Richardson, he ended the day on a high note.

Richardson threw an interception on the Colts' first drive when his pass went high and slipped through the hands of receiver Coleman Owen and into the grasp of a Patriots defender. The Colts then went three-and-out on their next drive. The Colts turned the ball over two more times on their next two drives on lost fumbles, one of them coming on the end of a 10-yard Richardson scamper.

At that point, it was do or die for Richardson's evening. With four minutes remaining in the first half, Richardson finally turned it on, leading a scoring drive that he punctuated with a short rushing touchdown to make it a one-score game. On the Colts' final drive of the first half, Richardson converted three consecutive throws of 10-plus yards to get the team into field goal range, but Blake Grupe's 61-yard field goal attempt fell wide right.

Richardson ended his day going 11-of-14 passing (78.6%) for 145 yards (10.4 YPA), with no touchdowns or sacks, and one interception for a passer rating of 80.1. He also carried the ball six times for 53 yards (8.8 avg.), a touchdown and a lost fumble.

The performance showed an overall positive body of work and the ability to overcome early mistakes. If the Colts want to trade him, this might have helped entice other teams. If they want to hang onto him, he just put a solid performance on tape.

The Colts turned the ball over four times on Thursday night, and three were attributed to their quarterbacks.

Although Owen should've caught Richardson's pass, the throw should have been lower so Owen could secure it and continue running. Outside throws are a dangerous game if they aren't precise. Richardson also lost a fumble during a run while failing to hold the ball high and tight, allowing plenty of room for the Patriots defender to poke it out.

Riley Leonard didn't fare much better in the second half. On the opening drive, on 1st-and-10, he had pressure bearing down on him and lofted a ball deep downfield, but nowhere near close enough for his receiver, and it was intercepted. The Patriots turned the ensuing drive into three more points.

Both Richardson and Leonard have a bit of gunslinger to them, but their interceptions on Thursday came down to inaccuracy on Richardson's part, and carelessness for Leonard.

The Colts' fourth-year tight end was a stud, catching six balls (seven targets) for a game-high 80 yards, providing security for both Richardson and Leonard. His receptions went for distances of 7, 9, 12, 15, 18, and 19 yards, proving he can stretch a defense and be a mismatch.

This performance wasn't new for Mallory, though. He routinely makes plays in training camp each summer, but struggles to earn playing time during the season due to a lack of special teams presence and being a below-average blocker. He's been active for just 24 of a possible 51 career games.

Still, the Colts have a player on their offense with a certain skill he's rarely able to show because of his deficiencies in other areas. If he's on the roster, he should be afforded the opportunity to help the team. The Colts have two blocking tight ends in Mo Alie-Cox and Drew Ogletre, so why can't they use another pass-catcher behind Tyler Warren?

A creative offensive mind like head coach Shane Steichen can figure it out.

The Colts got significant contributions from their rookie class on Thursday. While second-round pick CJ Allen continues to sit out with a hamstring injury, safety A.J. Haulcy, guard Jalen Farmer, linebacker Bryce Boettcher, defensive ends George Gumbs Jr. and Caden Curry, and running back Seth McGowan all played quite a bit and did some positive things.

"Yeah, I think defensively, a lot of rookies, Caden Curry made a ton of plays. I was really pleased with him," Steichen said after the game. "Bryce Boettcher was flying around. Gumbs made some plays. So, it was really good to see the young guys defensively, especially with the sudden change and the turnovers that we had offensively. To stop those guys was big."

Curry was especially productive in the second half, racking up a team-high six tackles (two for loss), 1.0 sack, three QB hits, and two batted passes. He couldn't be blocked and was effective while lined up either on the edges or inside.

It's not uncommon for much of a team's rookie class to have to sit, develop, and wait their turns, but it appears this year's group may be capable of more than that. Allen, Haulcy, and Boettcher will likely play significant time, while Gumbs and Curry have a baseline of being on special teams. McGowan may even earn the Colts' RB2 role behind Jonathan Taylor.

Last year, it felt like the Colts' linebacker group was determined because they had to have one. Next to Zaire Franklin, it was a revolving door of players who saw snaps until the Colts got fortunate that Germaine Pratt hit the market. Franklin himself even hit a significant decline from the year before.

The Colts deliberately remade their linebacker corps this offseason to get younger and faster, bringing in Allen, Boettcher, Akeem Davis-Gaither, West Weeks, Tahj Chambers, and Devin Veresuk, along with another year of development from Austin Ajiake and Jaylon Carlies. Throughout the summer, there aren't any blatant examples of poor fits or bad play, and there is something positive to say about every single player in the linebacker room.

On Thursday, Boettcher, Ajiake, Carlies, and Chambers all made multiple big plays, flying to the ball, stuffing the run, and getting physical with ball carriers.

This year, there should be real variety and quality in the competition, unlike last year, when it felt like they just had to field the linebacker position.

On paper, the Colts have a tremendous cornerback group when everyone is in their appropriate role, led by starters Sauce Gardner, Charvarius Ward Sr., and Justin Walley. None of them played on Thursday, which put Mekhi Blackmon, Cam Taylor-Britt, and Johnathan Edwards in the spotlight. All three have played a ton of football, but Blackmon and Edwards especially had a rough outing. Blackmon committed two defensive pass interference penalties on the first drive alone, and Edwards was beaten multiple times in coverage while not turning to look for the ball, including New England's only touchdown of the night.

The Colts have solid players who are good in a reserve role, but they may not necessarily be ready to play extensively if any of Gardner Ward, or Walley go down.

The Colts' kicking competition this offseason hasn't been remotely close. Blake Grupe is kicking about 90% on field goal attempts since mandatory minicamp, compared to just over 65% for Spencer Shrader, who's still on his way to 100% after a devastating knee injury in 2025.

On Thursday, Grupe was 0-of-1 on attempts, missing wide right on a 61-yard attempt at the end of the first half, and Shrader was a perfect 2-of-2, including his own 61-yarder that ultimately tied the game at 13 apiece.