Jake's Takes | Anthony Richardson Impresses vs. Eagles

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson's mobility and arm talent were on full display in the preseason finale against the Philadelphia Eagles.

The Indianapolis Colts (2-1) closed out the preseason on Thursday night with a 27-13 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles (0-2-1).

It was our last opportunity to see rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson on the field before the regular season begins on Sept. 10, and he did not disappoint.

Richardson and the Colts' starters played all of the first half, while the Eagles' ones didn't play at all, and for the Colts' offense that amounted to six drives. What resulted was 17 points on three scoring drives, including three series that clunked to three-and-outs.

Here are my takes on the game.

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OFFENSE

Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

— We saw Richardson do a little bit of everything in preseason Week 1 against the Buffalo Bills, both as a runner and throwing the ball to all areas of the field. However, he didn't play last week against the Chicago Bears and did a lot of dinking and dunking during two joint practices between the two teams. On Thursday night against the Eagles, it was back to seeing Richardson perform a variety of tasks. He completed 6-of-17 passes (35.3%) for 78 yards (4.6 YPA) and had 5 carries (two for first downs) for 38 yards (7.6 avg.). Richardson had a couple of deep shots, though they went incomplete, and also had a few really nice throws, including one through traffic to the boundary to Kylen Granson, a pass over the middle to Michael Pittman Jr. to get the Colts into Eagles territory and a third-down heater that went through the hands of Josh Downs. There's still plenty for Richardson to improve upon but his mobility, escapability, arm talent, and overall playmaking ability were all on full display.

— Offensive penalties continue to be a crippler of drives for the Colts, especially holding calls while Richardson takes off to run. We saw it ruin a drive against the Bills and it happened again on Thursday night. Oddly enough, All-Pro left guard Quenton Nelson was dinged for penalties on consecutive plays.

— With Jonathan Taylor's future with the team looking doubtful at best and Zack Moss recovering from a broken arm, it's been Deon Jackson and rookie Evan Hull primarily carrying the load. Both players have looked adequate all summer, and Hull just had his best performance against the Eagles, carrying the ball 6 times for 25 yards (4.2 avg.) and 1 touchdown, as well as this terrific blitz pickup on a key third down:

Heck of a rep here by Evan Hull (26) in pass pro. pic.twitter.com/H4vAeu4peh

— Ryan Fowler (@_RyanFowler_) August 25, 2023

— This is a Sam Ehlinger appreciation note. Has any other Colts backup quarterback made preseason football this fun? After a comeback win last week against the Bears, Ehlinger put together yet another big performance in Philadelphia, going 6-of-8 passing (75.0%) for 86 yards (10.8 YPA), and an interception as well as 2 carries for 10 yards (5.0 avg.).

DEFENSE

Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

— After a 73-yard kickoff return by the Eagles' Devon Allen to get things started, the Colts' first-team defense allowed the Eagles' second-team offense to score a touchdown on their opening drive. Philly went 27 yards on 6 plays to go up 7-0. However, the Colts' defense settled in for the rest of the half, allowing 150 more yards and 6 more points while also forcing a turnover and notching 2 sacks. It wasn't a great performance given they were facing the Eagles' QB2 and QB3, but they did improve from a rough start.

— We've been keeping an eye on the Colts' cornerback rotation, and outside starters Dallis Flowers and Darrell Baker Jr. performed quite well. Both were able to provide solid coverage and fought to disrupt passes at the catch point. Rookie JuJu Brents and Darius Rush did not play.

SPECIAL TEAMS

Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

— With the Colts' special teams ace Ashton Dulin going down with a season-ending ACL injury last week, the question of who will step up in his place has been put out there. A few guys have stood out in these last couple of games, most notably Trevor Denbow, Segun Olubi, and Jaylon Jones. They've been heavily involved in punt coverage and have consistently disrupted the returner's path or ended the return altogether.

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