Buccaneers @ Colts
Final Score: Colts 27, Buccaneers 10
Writer: Ryan Radel (@RadelFF on Twitter)
Leading up to this preseason game, speculation ran amuck on where in the world Tom Brady was. Some Reddit sleuths went as far as assuming he will be on The Masked Singer. If you ask Brady, he was just relaxing because he is old. Either way, I don’t think Brady needs much of a preseason at this point in his career. On the other side of the ball, a young quarterback is playing surprisingly well. The Colts walloped the Buccaneers at the end of the day in what was the final warm-up for these squads before we kick off the regular season.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
| Preseason Week 1 | Preseason Week 2 |
Quarterback
Kyle Trask: 7/10, 94 yards, Sack
Blaine Gabbert: 5/7, 46 yards
Tom Brady: 6/8, 44 yards
Not a whole lot to write about here outside of Tom Brady, who looked sharp during his lone drive on the field. Although the drive ended in a field goal, Brady ran the no-huddle to near-perfection. Kyle Trask still has a long way to go, and Blaine Gabbert continues to do Blaine Gabbert things as a journeyman backup. One thing of note, the Buccaneers offensive line has taken a lot of blows already. It will be interesting to see how Brady is protected as the season starts.
1️⃣2️⃣ pic.twitter.com/Ltjkdev7OD
— Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) August 28, 2022
Running Back
Ke’Shawn Vaughn: 9 carries, 36 yards, TD | 1 target
Patrick Laird: 12 carries, 35 yards | 3 targets, 3 receptions, 19 yards
Leonard Fournette: 2 carries, 13 yards | 1 target, 1 reception, 2 yards
Rachaad White: 6 carries, 9 yards | 1 target, 1 reception, 3 yards
Leonard Fournette made the most of his three touches while he was on the field one drive with the rest of the starters before watching the rest of the game from the sidelines. Rachaad White was the second running back on the field after Fournette, and while he didn’t do a lot with his touches, it’s still encouraging to see him as what looks like the second back on the depth chart. Patrick Laird received his touches later in the game against weaker competition but proved he can make an impact both in the air and on the ground. Ke’Shawn Vaughn scored the only Buccaneers touchdown on the day with this hard run up the middle from the one:
🙌🙌🙌
📺: #TBvsIND on WFLA
📲: Stream now https://t.co/XM2HRLSqMG pic.twitter.com/YEeNHYywHn— Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) August 28, 2022
Wide Receiver/Tight End
JJ Howland: 1 target, 1 reception, 46 yards
Cade Otton: 3 targets, 2 receptions, 37 yards
Tyler Johnson: 4 targets, 3 receptions, 36 yards
Julio Jones: 1 target, 1 reception, 20 yards
Cameron Brate: 2 targets, 2 receptions, 10 yards
Jaelon Darden: 2 targets, 2 receptions, 9 yards
Deven Thompkins: 2 targets, 1 reception, 3 yards
Mike Evans: 1 target
Breshad Perriman: 1 target
Scotty Miller: 2 targets, 1 reception, -1 yards
As expected, Mike Evans and Julio Jones started the game, with Jones being the only one to secure his target. Cameron Brate got the start at tight end and brought in both of his targets during the opening drive – Brate looks like he will be utilized in a lot of short-yardage situations. Tyler Johnson made a nice 21-yard splash play among his three receptions. The rest of the group was rather pedestrian outside of a big 46-yard reception from JJ Howland down the middle of the field (second linked video):
Trask with another great throw here to TE JJ Howland for a big chunk play. #GoBucs pic.twitter.com/hdRzQOeXsK
— RealBucsTalk (@RealBucsTalk) August 14, 2022
Indianapolis Colts
| Preseason Week 1 | Preseason Week 2 |
Quarterback
Sam Ehlinger: 5/7, 65 yards, Sack | 1 carry, 45 yards, TD
Matt Ryan: 5/7, 59 yards, Sack | 1 carry, 11 yards
Nick Foles: 3/5, 24 yards | 2 carries, 5 yards
Jack Coan: 2/3, 8 yards, Sack, Fumble | 1 carry
Matt Ryan was on the field for three series, with the third and final series being a scoring drive, before handing over the reins to Nick Foles. Neither veteran needs much of a warmup at this point in their career, much like their counterpart on the Buccaneers. It’s weird seeing Matt Ryan not in a Falcons jersey, but he looks comfortable. Jack Coan looked lost although he did lead a scoring drive. Sam Ehlinger looked brilliant under center and scored on two of his three drives, even calling his number on the opening series for a huge run:
Wam, bam, thank you Sam! ⚡️
📺: FOX 59 pic.twitter.com/Hg1mK9sVGJ
— Indianapolis Colts (@Colts) August 28, 2022
Running Back
Phillip Lindsay: 7 carries, 23 yards, TD | 1 target
D’vonte Price: 4 carries, 17 yards | 1 target, 1 reception, -4 yards
Ty’Son Williams: 5 carries, 16 yards
Deon Jackson: 4 carries, 3 yards, TD | 4 targets, 3 receptions, 34 yards
Deon Jackson was the starting running back in what is likely the audition to have the third running back spot in Indianapolis. Jackson needed to tries to slam in his touchdown from a yard out, but truly shined in the passing game as he took a short pass 22 yards which set up the eventual score. Ty’Son Williams didn’t do a whole lot of anything with his five carries, and neither did D’vonte Price. Phillip Lindsay, who seems to eternally get no respect as a running back, had five straight touches leading up to this touchdown where he absorbed contact while showing great concentration as he made sure he broke the plane for the score:
We’ll take six! 🤗
📺: FOX 59 pic.twitter.com/gL7sgmMVsc
— Indianapolis Colts (@Colts) August 28, 2022
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Dezmon Patmon: 3 targets, 3 receptions, 50 yards
Michael Pittman Jr: 3 targets, 3 receptions, 29 yards
Jelani Woods: 1 target, 1 reception, 12 yards
DeMichael Harris: 1 target, 1 reception, 12 yards
Mike Strachan: 1 target, 1 reception, 11 yards
Kylen Granson: 2 targets, 1 reception, 6 yards
Ashton Dulin: 1 target, 1 reception, 6 yards
Mo Alie-Cox: 1 target
Michael Jacobson: 1 target
Keke Coutee: Fumble
Three of Matt Ryan’s five passes targeted Michael Pittman Jr while the starters were on the field, which was a great sign, especially since Pittman secured all three. Jelani Woods makes Mo Alie-Cox look normal-sized. The only other standout was Dezmon Patmon, who connected with Sam Ehlinger on a screen he took 38 yards:
Ehlinger → Patmon 😤
📺: FOX 59 pic.twitter.com/jF2OzZRQbV
— Indianapolis Colts (@Colts) August 28, 2022
Thanks for reading!