The NFL season is so close you can practically taste it. But first, we have preseason action on the docket. Thursday’s two-game slate kicks off with the Baltimore Ravens facing the Indianapolis Colts.
Preseason carries a lot of excitement. You get to see rookie draft picks for the first time. Camp battles get played out all over the field. And, in the case of the Colts, a quarterback battle plays out in real time. It brings a huge narrative element to this game that most NFL preseason games are missing.
The Colts are -6 favorites on the road in this game on the DraftKings Sportsbook. Indianapolis is a -260 favorite on the Moneyline, and the total is set at 36.5 points. Let’s get into a preview, prediction, and pick for this Colts-Ravens game.
Ravens Overview
The Ravens’ QB position will be less interesting to monitor because of that Lamar Jackson guy, but it still carries some intrigue. After eight years in Dallas, Cooper Rush arrives as the heavy favorite for backup QB spot. He performed well for the Cowboys when Dak Prescott was hurt and is one of the better backups in the league. The genuine interest comes with the QB3 battle. Malik Cunningham, an elite running QB in college, will battle 2024 draft pick Devin Leary for the third string spot. It’s interesting to see if the scrambler or the pocket passer will win out, and the two will split the lion’s share of snaps after Rush gets a series or two.
They also have some battles to settle on the outside. After Zay Flowers, DeAndre Hopkins, and Rashod Bateman, there are snaps and targets up for grabs. Baltimore has a potpourri of young receivers looking to make a name for themselves. It’s the same at cornerback, where spots are up for grabs behind Marlon Humphrey and new signee Jaire Alexander.
Elsewhere, Baltimore figures to have competition on the interior offensive line and for the second inside linebacker spot alongside Roquan Smith. They’re not the sexiest camp competitions, but for a team with Super Bowl aspirations, these battles are significant.
Colts Overview
The first, second, and third story for the Colts is the quarterback battle. And the plan is in already. Indianapolis will start Anthony Richardson on Thursday and play him for the first 1.5 quarters, while Daniel Jones finishes out the second half. That will be reversed in their second preseason game. It seems like a true 50/50 competition between the two, and Richardson will have to make good decisions and spin the ball on Thursday to keep his starting job.
For the second half, the QB3 battle gets started. Riley Leonard, a 2025 sixth-round pick, arrives after a strong senior year at Notre Dame. He brings a lot of passing questions but ran for 906 yards and 17 touchdowns. Undrafted free agent Jason Bean will try to put pressure on him, bringing a long starting experience from college and some dual-threat ability.
A lot of the offense is up for grabs. Outside of Michael Pittman, nobody is guaranteed their role in the receiving room. Alec Pierce, Ashton Dulin, and Adonai Mitchell are some of the big names fighting for the WR2 role. Rookie first-round pick Tyler Warren is expected to start at tight end, but the spots behind him are as yet undecided. There are spots on the offensive line to settle as well, as only Bernhard Raimann, Braden Smith, and all-world right guard Quenton Nelson have guaranteed spots.
Defensively, the main areas of interest are the linebacker spots and the second outside corner. Zaire Franklin is one of the league’s best inside linebackers, but the rest of the spots are question marks. Charvarius Ward arrives to lock down CB1, and the slot/nickel is spoken for with Kenny Moore II, but the second outside corner is up for grabs. Julius Brents figures to be the favorite, but it bears watching.
Game Preview
A lot of these preseason games come down to depth and the quarterbacks. And I’m not sure if the open QB competition will do favors for Indianapolis.
Cooper Rush will go out there knowing his job is safe. He has extensive experience playing well against regular-season NFL teams. Malik Cunningham and Devin Leary are less than inspiring but competent depth pieces against backups and third stringers. It’s not a bad formula, especially when you consider the depth pieces that Baltimore will put out there as they settle camp battles.
Even playing against backups, Anthony Richardson and Daniel Jones should always give you pause. You could argue they were the two worst starting QBs in the league this past season. Both are prone to making game-breaking mistakes that can tip the scales in any game. Though preseason games are notoriously tough to handicap, I like the value for the Ravens.
