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The primary goal of the preseason is to leave it as healthy as possible. Two drives into their August opener, and the Indianapolis Colts have put that in doubt.
On Thursday, quarterback Anthony Richardson led the Colts into battle against the Baltimore Ravens, hoping to take a step towards locking up the starting job and easing concerns about his tumultuous 2024 campaign.
His first drive was promising, hitting AD Mitchell and Tyler Warren for two completions on three attempts before settling for a field goal. On the second play of the ensuing drive, Richardson took a big hit from Ravens edge rusher David Ojabo, ending his night early and sentencing the Indianapolis faithful to an extra dose of Daniel Jones.
Richardson injures finger in preseason
It isn't immediately clear how severe Richardson's pinky injury is, but he was quickly ruled out of the contest, and a grisly replay suggested that it might be broken.
Fortunately, the pinky isn't particularly important in throwing a football. Indianapolis' season didn't end on Thursday night. The play, however, was a bad sign for the Colts and a coaching staff whose jobs rely on Richardson finding success.
Baltimore ran a simulated pressure, showing a blitz before dropping a lineman into coverage and sending four from a non-traditional look. The Colts slid to the left, leaving the right tackle to choose between a linebacker hoping to fly through the B gap or Ojabo coming off the edge.
Ojabo free to the QB. Someone messed up pic.twitter.com/D3PPsp24dI
— Billy M (@BillyM_91) August 7, 2025The linebacker has the quicker path to the quarterback and was thus prioritized by the tackle. That left Richardson to beat Ojabo, either with his legs or (more likely) by hitting his hot route, the running back running a flat to the right side.
Richardson's eyes were elsewhere. He started his progression on the left, rather than correctly identifying the blitz. From there, he never had a chance.
MORE: Daniel Jones can't take advantage of extra snaps after Anthony Richardson injury
The injury, of course, is far from ideal, regardless of how long Richardson is down. What's more concerning is that Richardson put himself in a poor position on an elementary rep -- even if he wasn't the one setting the protection.
His lack of experience made him a project, a passer that needed reps to iron out both mechanical and intangible flaws. Injuries in consecutive seasons, along with a brief benching, have made that development more difficult. And in Richardson's first game action as a third-year quarterback, he made a rookie mistake that added another bullet to his laundry list of injuries.
There's little reason to over-index a single rep, much less one from an exhibition. But if Richardson's miscue was foreshadowing, rather than a blip on the small-sample radar, the Colts could be in for more trouble in the coming months.
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