The Indianapolis Colts have one final dress rehearsal Thursday night before the regular season begins.
After competing in a joint practice Tuesday afternoon, the Colts will wrap up their preseason before any other team with a road matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals at Paycor Stadium.
Head coach Shane Steichen told reporters following Tuesday's practice that the starting units on both sides will get some run during the finale.
“Yeah, our starters will play about a quarter and a half, probably give or take," Steichen said. "I mean, some guys might play less, some guys might play more, but want to get those guys out there and run around on Thursday night.”
Anthony Richardson and the starting offense were only on the field for two drives and a total of seven plays in the preseason opener against the Denver Broncos.
The Colts then held out the majority of starters against the Arizona Cardinals during the second preseason game following a pair of joint practices at Westfield.
There will be a long break between the preseason finale and the Week 1 opener against the Houston Texans so Steichen wants the team to be ready.
"After this Thursday night, we’ve got 17 days until we kick off against Houston. So, this is a big day. So shoot, we’ve got to get the players ready to roll and go out there and play and get that game-like experience before obviously, Week 1 gets here," Steichen said.
It won't be a surprise if players like DeForest Buckner, Grover Stewart and Jonathan Taylor are among the players who either don't play or see limited playing time.
The Colts and Bengals are set for kickoff at 8:00 p.m. ET on Thursday night.
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