Colts Fall To Bills In First Preseason Game Of 2022
The Colts lost their first preseason of the 2022 season to the Bills by the score of 27-24. Should fans in Indianapolis be concerned with the loss?
With the first game of preseason out of the way, it’s time to completely overreact to what happened. The Colts lost against the Bills 27-24 and there were a lot of things to be concerned about going forward from here, but there are also some diamonds hidden in the rough.
A Rough Start Doomed The Colts Against Buffalo
The first quarter and the starters, I’m not going to lie, were not pretty. The offense struggled, and yes, Jonathan Taylor was not in the game but everyone else was. Taylor being out could be used as an excuse as to why our first-team offense was unable to produce anything but three points against back-ups, but Taylor doesn’t run routes for the receivers or catch the ball for them.
Colts receivers were unable to create hardly any separation and Parris Campbell having a drop on a crucial third and short doesn’t help either. However, there are bright spots. Nick Cross, newly drafted safety out of Maryland, absolutely showed out, having two big pass breakups in the end zone and big run stuff on a third and two.
In quarter two, Nick Foles entered the game at around the ten-minute mark. Since winning the Super Bowl, Foles has a record of 8-11 and could not beat out Gardner Minshew in Jacksonville or Mitchell Trubisky in Chicago. Foles was an absolute turnover machine, being strip-sacked (for a scoop and score touchdown) and a very ugly interception (sailed well over the head of the receiver). Foles showed an inability to push the ball more than five yards downfield. A highlight of this quarter is Kylen Granson. He runs fast and he runs hard. The pass rush finally showed up in quarter two with a very nice strip sack from number 92, Kameron Cline.
Bright Spots For The Colts And Thoughts Moving Forward
In the third quarter, the Colts offensive line depth was on full display and not in a good way. Luckily, Foles was finally out of the game and Sam Ehlinger was in. Ehlinger absolutely shined during this game. Ehlinger came out and was throwing the ball accurately with a zip on it and when the defenders were crashing around him, he was able to slide around the pocket like butter in a hot skillet and deliver impressive touchdown passes.
Sam Ehlinger connects with Jelani Woods for a Colts touchdown 🙌pic.twitter.com/3pQl298dLV — Colts Nation (@ColtsNationCP) August 13, 2022
The fourth quarter was relatively uneventful. Jack Coan was less than pedestrian and the defense was giving up big plays. In summary, it may not be panic button time yet, but the glass definitely needs to be flipped off of the button; be prepared. The wide receiver position is such a glaring need for the Colts after this game.
The team should bring in a veteran. Someone like Will Fuller may be a bit injury prone but he’s better than pretty much everyone on this roster. The defense is the next worry, the pass rush was darn near non-existent during this game and Gus Bradley’s single high safety shells were being absolutely carved up by Case Keenum and Matt Barkley.
Next week the Colts are planning on resting their starters, and that may not be the best call after this game. However, hopefully, this means Ehlinger gets to play against the second team and really start pushing Foles off of this team.