COLTS’ PRESEASON PROVING GROUND! Shane Steichen Sees Ravens Game as Critical Test

The Indianapolis Colts head coach is gearing up for his squad’s preseason debut.

The Indianapolis Colts will have their first of three preseason matchups on the horizon Thursday night, as they’ll get their preliminary action kicked off against the Baltimore Ravens on the road. It’ll be the first in-game snaps the team has had since the end of last season in January, inevitably followed by an offseason with notable moves made on both sides of the ball.

And while it might just be an exhibition contest for the roster to get their feet wet ahead of the real regular season stakes, for Colts head coach Shane Steichen, set to get his third year at the helm off and running, the preseason reps will absolutely present some worthwhile value for this group.

“I think it’ll be great,” Steichen said of the Colts’ preseason matchup vs. Baltimore on Tuesday. “Any time you get your first preseason game in– a lot of these young guys are going to get a lot of reps in that game against Baltimore, but just to get the operation in with the coaches and the substitution and the communication and the real game-like atmosphere, I think it’s going to be huge for us.”

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The Colts were able to be a part of a joint practice against the Ravens earlier in the week before preseason officially kicked off, acting as not just a first look at what could be in store for their matchup, but also acting as a change of pace from their regular team practices with another team from outside the building.

Especially against a talented roster and exemplary team like the Ravens have had across recent memory, Steichen was clearly a fan of getting his team said reps.

“I think it’s great to go against a team that’s had a lot of success, like they’ve had over the last decade or whatever it’s been, and the quarterback they have,” Steichen said. “It’s great. So, that competition makes us better too. So, to get this work out here with them today, I thought was just phenomenal.”

“They’ve got a lot of really good players from top to bottom. I think their d-coordinator does a great job with their scheme. He does a lot of different things, multiple looks. I thought the corners were aggressive. Thought it was some good back and forth there.”

Thankfully, the Colts won’t have the lofty task of going against the likes of Lamar Jackson or Derrick Henry on Thursday– both guys have already been ruled out. But, Baltimore’s strong defense likely won’t be going anywhere, giving Indianapolis and their offense set to be led out by Anthony Richardson, and Daniel Jones to follow, a strong challenge for their first time out.

The Colts will kick off their preseason debut and first game of the season against the Ravens on Thursday, landing at 7 PM ET.

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