Stampede Blue
Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson never saw Baltimore Ravens edge rusher David Ojabo coming when he was sacked and suffered an injury to his right pinky on his seventh snap of Thursday’s preseason opener. Ojabo was left unblocked, rushed into the backfield and delivered a spear by driving his helmet into Richardson’s throwing hand, which resulted in a dislocated pinky.
Colts’ rookie swing tackle Jalen Travis was outmanned, took on the blitz and blocked the opposing linebacker. Fellow rookie Tyler Warren ran his designed route and D.J. Giddens ran a hot swing route. Richardson dropped back in shotgun without scanning the field and wound up getting crushed by the free rusher bearing down right in front of him to deliver a hit stick before he even knew what hit him. Richardson immediately exited the field with his right arm pinned to his side and his right pinky finger stuck out at a 90**°** angle like a sore thumb. Trainers popped his finger back into place, but Richardson was ruled out for the rest of the game.
It was the first test for the 23-year-old QB aiming to reclaim his starting job in Indianapolis amid the ongoing competition. For the player who needs the most developmental reps with actual starters, Richardson now faces yet another setback that could limit his preseason participation. The short, but effective opening drive got started as Richardson led the offense into enemy territory on his first throw of the game. Richardson fired a bullet to receiver Adonai Mitchell on a comeback route for a 15-yard gain and connected with Warren for a six-yard gain to set up a more manageable 3rd & 7. The Colts’ opening drive was cut short after Richardson misfired behind receiver Ashton Dulin and was almost picked off by Ravens cornerback Jalyn Armour-Davis.
Colts kicker Spencer Shrader drilled a 50-yard field goal – which would be a career-long if preseason stats were on record – to give the Colts their only lead of the preseason opener. The Westfield, Ind.-native connected from 33 and 39-yards out when the Colts stalled out inside the red zone, but Shrader’s 52-yard attempt before halftime ricocheted off the left post.
Veteran QB Daniel Jones took the field after Richardson got knocked out of the game on the Colts second drive. In Jones’ preseason debut with the Colts, the seventh-year QB completed 10-of-21 passes for 144 passing yards. Jones has played his best when running play action or Steichen’s run-pass-option scheme during training camp. On the first play of the Colts fourth drive, Jones faked the handoff and hit Warren behind two Ravens defenders for an explosive 23-yard gain. Warren, Indianapolis’ first round draft pick, finished his NFL debut with 40 receiving yards on three catches.
The Colts defense started strong with an early takeaway as cornerback Alex Johnson caught an interception just beyond midfield on the second play from scrimmage. Rookie edge rusher JT Tuimoloau and defensive tackle Adetomiwa Adebawore both secured a sack. It seems linebacker...
