Colts Risers and Fallers in Preseason Loss to Packers

With the Colts' cornerback room decimated with injuries, others on the depth chart have needed to step up and transition into Lou Anarumo's defense. While Jonathan Edwards and Alex Johnson had solid performances, Chris Lammons erupted.

Lammons finished the game with five tackles (one for loss), a sack, a quarterback hit, and three passes broken up. If Jaylon Jones, JuJu Brents, and Kenny Moore II have to miss any regular season play, Lammons might have just earned himself a spot in the rotation.

Faller | Injuries

To say Indianapolis had issues with injuries during this preseason game against the Packers is an understatement. The Colts' roster took a blow with four prominent injuries. Safety Hunter Wohler (foot), offensive tackles Braden Smith (groin) and Blake Freeland (leg fracture), and running back Tyler Goodson (arm) all left the game.

The biggest one of those names to sustain an injury is Smith at tackle. Smith has struggled badly with injuries throughout his career, and now, with Freeland out with a serious injury, the Colts will turn to rookie Jaylin Travis and backup Luke Tenuta to fill in. Don't be surprised if Indy finds a way to put more depth at tackle.

Riser | Anthony Richardson Sr.

While Daniel Jones had the better numbers in the box score, Anthony Richardson Sr. stayed on the field and put up an encouraging performance. Richardson concluded 6/11 passing for 73 passing yards and nine rushing yards. Richardson also connected on a gorgeous pass to receiver Anthony Gould. While it didn't count due to a penalty, Richardson showed his immense arm talent.

This was a good showing for Richardson and greatly helps his case to take over under center for Week 1. Richardson led the offense well and was efficient with the football, the opposite of what we saw in his short time playing on Thursday. Shane Steichen mentioned he's close to a decision, so it will be interesting to see how things play out after a long battle at QB.

Faller | AD Mitchell

After putting up a fantastic training camp, AD Mitchell has logged two straight rough preseason outings. Against the Ravens, he caught just two passes on six targets for 37 receiving yards. Against the Packers, Mitchell was nearly non-existent with just a catch for eight yards. But it was his mental errors that stood out.

Mitchell can't afford to have another season like last year. Mitchell's promise was on display all training camp, but now it has blown away with games starting to roll out. Mitchell has one more preseason game to show the coaches something more than his previous contests.

Riser | Spencer Shrader

Kicker Spencer Shrader has all but officially won the kicking competition with Maddux Trujillo. Shrader looked fantastic and was the engine behind Indy's 19 points. Shrader finished perfectly on the day, hitting on all four field goal attempts. This included one from 56 yards out.

The shocking release of former kicker Matt Gay was in favor of what the Colts saw in Shrader. Now, with only one preseason game remaining, Shrader will look to continue his recent consistency as likely Indy's next starting kicker.

Faller | Penalties

The Colts had their moments during this game with the Packers. However, the penalties were all over, showing lapses in execution on both sides of the ball. On the day, the Colts had 11 penalties for 103 yards total.

Indianapolis was playing plenty of non-starters, so it's somewhat forgivable given the lack of experience and every-week leaders. Still, the Colts don't want this many penalties, regardless of who's committing them.

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