The Indianapolis Colts are set to wrap up the preseason with a matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals on Thursday night at Paycor Stadium.
After a joint practice with the Bengals on Tuesday, Colts head coach Shane Steichen confirmed the starters will play into the second quarter of the preseason finale.
Thursday night will be the last time the Indy offense will have an opportunity to work out any kinks against a different defense until the season opener against the Houston Texans.
The first preseason game against the Denver Broncos was a quick outing for the starters, with Anthony Richardson finishing 2/4 for 25 yards and one carry for one yard that came on a scramble.
The starting offense got some work during their two joint practices with the Arizona Cardinals, which led to the starters sitting out the second preseason game. They also had a joint practice with the Bengals on Tuesday afternoon. All three joint practices were filled with ups and downs for the starting unit.
Finding some success through the air in a game scenario would help create some confidence and momentum for Week 1. The ideal evening for the offense is to put together three to four scoring drives that showcase a passing attack that finds some rhythm before exiting the field until their opener against the Texans.
Coming back from surgery to repair a shoulder injury that ended Richardson's season after just five games, there's expected to be some rust.
With a 17-day gap between the preseason finale and the start of the regular season, the Colts offense needs to show it's making progress toward being a more consistent unit.
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