Three things we need to see from the Colts starters today during the team's preseason finale

The Indianapolis Colts are in Cincinnati this week to play the Cincinnati Bengals in their final preseason game before the 2024 regular season.

Head coach Shane Steichen said that most starters will play into the second quarter, which is the most they've played this year.

With their regular season opener against the Houston Texans right around the corner, the Colts starters need to use these final snaps to prepare themselves for the 2024 season. If we are to feel comfortable about where things stand with this roster, I think we need to see the following three things from the Colts starters today.

Anthony Richardson puts together long drives

Anthony Richardson has been able to participate in every single training camp practice this year after missing the majority of his rookie season due to a shoulder injury. But he's only played two series in the preseason, leading to one first down and Richardson completing just two of his four pass attempts for 25 yards .

We need to see Richardson and the Colts offense put together long scoring drives against the Bengals. Richardson's accuracy needs to be better from the preseason opener, and we need to see him attack Cincinnati's defense. Typically, you don't want to dip into your actual playbook much in the preseason, but I think it would be wise for the Colts to dip into the real thing today. As we need to see, Richardson command the huddle and effectively lead the team's offense, especially with the season opener being the favorite to win the AFC South, the Texans.

Communication in the Colts' secondary

Last season, the poor communication in the secondary was a detriment to the team's defense. A big reason for this was the inexperience in youth in multiple vital spots. Both of those things are still very relevant in the secondary, with both starting outside CBs being only second-year starters and the team expecting Nick Cross to be a full-time starter for the first time in his career.

There's no fixing the lack of experience and youth in the room, but they can fix their communication. Even during the team's first two preseason games, we saw the lack of communication poke its head in. Today, we need to see the team's secondary, show they can be on the same page, and operate as a well-oiled machine. The high-powered Texans offense is currently licking their lips at the thought of playing the Colts' secondary. So the guys have to be ready, or their 2024 season could start the same way their 2023 season ended .

The Colts pass rush lives up to the hype

While the Colts secondary has many worried about their play on the field, the hype around the team's pass rush is creating some high expectations. One way to help the young secondary out is by creating pressure on the QB early and not forcing these young defensive backs to hold their coverage for an abundance of time. We need to see players like Kwity Paye, Laiatu Latu, Tyquann Lewis, and Dayo Odeyingbo show they are ready for the regular season.

If the team's pass rush lives up to the hype that their training camp performance has created, it would be major for the outlook of the 2024 season. A significant element of their win over the Texans and CJ Stroud early in 2023 was their pass rush getting the best of Houston's banged-up offensive line. They will likely see a healthy group this time, but they must find a way to make Stroud uncomfortable and disrupt his rhythm. If you give a QB with his Stroud's accuracy time, he will chew up and spit out the Colts' heavy zone coverage scheme. So let's hope the Colts pass rush shows they are ready to be game wreckers today.

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