The Falcons’ preseason opener went about as badly as it could have. Atlanta got rolled by Denver, 27-7, even with the starters logging a few snaps. Now the Falcons get a quick chance to steady things when they face the Colts in Week 2.
Indianapolis came out of its first preseason game with a 13-13 tie against New England, and the setup for Saturday is a little different from last week. Both teams are expected to keep their starters out after the two clubs worked through several joint practices earlier in the week.
That leaves the quarterback situation in Indianapolis as one of the main points to watch. The Colts still have a fight for the No. 2 quarterback job, but Week 1 didn’t produce any real separation.
Anthony Richardson opened the game and finished 11-of-14 for 145 yards and an interception. Riley Leonard took over in the second half and went 10-of-21 for 89 yards and an interception.
This week, the roles will switch, with Leonard starting and Richardson coming on in the second half.
From a betting standpoint, Atlanta being listed as a 3.5-point underdog feels like a big reaction to one ugly preseason performance. With starters out for both sides, that number leans more on last week’s box score than on what this matchup should actually look like.
And with the Colts’ quarterback play in Week 1 offering little to separate Richardson and Leonard, it’s hard to see Indianapolis creating enough of an edge to cover that spread against Atlanta.
In Other News...
Colts Left Preseason Week 2 With 3 Big Roster Questions
The Colts left their Week 2 preseason game with a better sense of some things and a lot less clarity on others, especially at linebacker. Akeem Davis-Gaither appears lined up to start, but who will work alongside him is still up in the air, and that uncertainty sits right next to another area that looked thin again: the pass rush. Indianapolis managed only one sack and one quarterback hit, leaving the front seven with more questions than answers as the roster picture starts to sharpen.
There is also a real decision coming at backup quarterback, where Riley Leonard and Anthony Richardson are both trying to separate themselves for different reasons. Both had their share of passing struggles, but their styles are not the same and that matters as the Colts keep sorting out how they want the position behind the starter to look. With one preseason game down and another layer of evaluation still to come, the race on the depth chart feels far from settled. [Read more 🡒]
Anthony Richardson Keeps Colts Backup Debate Alive For One Big Reason
Anthony Richardson got another look in the second half of the Colts Week 2 preseason game against the Falcons, and the final line was uneven enough to keep the conversation around Indianapolis quarterback room going. He completed 3 of 9 passes for 24 yards while dealing with pressure from offensive line issues and limited separation from his receivers, but he also flashed the kind of movement and improvisation that has long been part of his appeal, extending plays and leaning on zone reads when the pocket broke down.
For Shane Steichen, the bigger question is still unresolved. The Colts coach has not set a timetable for naming the backup quarterback, and Richardsons overall preseason has been stronger than Riley Leonards, which keeps the competition from feeling settled just yet. Even with the rough patches, Richardsons ability to survive adverse situations and create something out of them is giving him a real case to stay in the mix a little longer. [Read more 🡒]
Colts Suddenly Have A Real Jaylahn Tuimoloau Problem
Jaylahn Tuimoloau arrived with real draft capital behind him, the kind of investment that usually buys a young edge rusher a longer runway in Indianapolis. Instead, the second-year pass rusher has spent the preseason and his rookie season trying to find his footing, and the latest reminder came against the Falcons, where he finished without registering a statistic.
For a Colts team that has already had plenty of trouble hitting on quarterbacks and edge rushers in recent years, Tuimoloaus slow start is more than just a depth-chart nuisance. The organization can afford patience to a point, but if the production does not come in 2026, the conversation could shift from development to whether a benching or even a release becomes part of the equation. [Read more 🡒]