It's go time.
Over an 11-day span, the Colts will play three preseason games and participate in three joint practices. Those represent six massive opportunities for the 2024 Colts to hone in on details, solidify an identity and be as prepared as possible to beat the Houston Texans when the games start counting on Sept. 8.
The Colts' preseason curtain-lifter on Sunday against the Denver Broncos at Lucas Oil Stadium, then, will kick off this sprint to the end of August."
"They're going to be huge," head coach Shane Steichen said. "I mean, we've been going against each other now for what it is – two and a half, three weeks, and to go against somebody else this Sunday and then next week versus Arizona for two days will be huge for our guys. Then going to Cincinnati will be huge and just keep attacking every day. I mean, the guys are working their tails off. It gets closer and closer every day. I know the guys are excited for that."
Steichen will play his starters a series or two on Sunday, following the precedent he set last year. In 2023's preseason opener, most defensive starters played six snaps over two series; the offensive starters played 29 snaps over three series.
And while the offensive and defensives schemes the Colts and Broncos will run will be as plain as they get – nobody puts anything beyond the basics on tape during preseason games – the opportunity to compete against a different opponent is welcome at this point of the build-up to Sept. 8.
"Man, I've been waiting on that because our defense, they give me headaches sometimes," quarterback Anthony Richardson said. "Just some of the plays they be making - like earlier today, Kenny (Moore II) just going up and getting that interception, man. But no, it's all about making us better as a team, making me better. They're veteran guys. I love playing against our defense, but it's time for a new opponent."
Earlier this week, we covered a few players to watch in Sunday's preseason opener. Intentionally, none of them were starters – the things non-starters put on tape during preseason games are important data points in determining roles, roster spots, etc. Beyond those guys, though, both of the Colts' highly-drafted rookies – first round defensive end Laiatu Latu and second-round wide receiver Adonai Mitchell – will be worth keeping an eye on for a few reasons:
- Can Latu not only create pressure – as he's done consistently through training camp – but finish a sack? Sunday will be his first opportunity to take a quarterback to the ground in the NFL.
- Will Mitchell work at all from the slot, as he did on Friday with Downs out? And if he's on the outside, can he create separation and win one-on-one against man coverage?
From a bigger-picture standpoint, clean operation and good communication will be important on both sides of the ball (those things matter, but are also probably inscrutable to those of us who aren't players, coaches or front office staffers).
On special teams, the early returns – pun intended – around the league have been teams not tipping their hand on the league's new dynamic kickoff, with mostly vanilla setups on those so far. We may not get a good look at how the Colts handle it until the games begin to matter in September.
The Colts have spent the last two weeks steadily progressing and ramping up the intensity during training camp at Grand Park. They're largely done with installing things on offense and defense. Now it's about figuring out the strengths of this team and building an identity around those.
And that 12-day sprint to the end of the preseason begins Sunday.
