After two practices of the Indianapolis Colts and Chicago Bears competing in joint practices, the two will be facing off tonight at 7 pm Eastern standard time for a preseason matchup. 

What should fans be watching for when the action kicks off tonight? 

Homecoming. pic.twitter.com/rWAsn9uFHD

— Indianapolis Colts (@Colts) August 19, 2023

Can the Colts 2nd unit O-Line show improvement

Quite possibly, the biggest takeaway from the Colts’ first preseason game was the poor performance from the 2nd-team offensive line. With the amount of time starters will play in limbo for tonight, the 2nd-team could see an extended run.

During the first game, the 2nd unit's offensive line prevented the 2nd team's offense from being able to produce much for evaluation. This puts the pressure on this group to show up tonight. If the group doesn't want the Colts to look elsewhere for improvement, they have to show drastic improvement.

The ongoing battle for the Colts’ WR 5 & potentially WR 6 job(s)

Following the devasting news of WR Ashton Dulin tearing his ACL, the Colts’ task of cutting down their WR room got significantly more difficult. The team’s top 4 spots are all but locked up with:

1. Michael Pittman Jr. 
2. Alec Pierce 
3. Josh Downs
4. Isaiah McKenzie

These next two preseason games will be crucial for the rest of the WR room as they battle it out for 1-2 remaining spots. A few players have stood out so far that I believe you should be paying attention to over the next two weeks. 

The first is Michael Strachan, who has been the most consistent contributor through camp and has even spent time with the starters and shined during red zone work. Another would be Amari Rodgers, who was just recently added to the team but has had multiple eye-catching moments. His speed on the outside could be very appealing, as well as his special teams experience. 

A newcomer to watch for tonight would be James Washington, who was signed to the team yesterday, a slot WR who has had some big moments in this league, but does he have enough time to make his mark? And lastly, the veteran Breshad Perriman who could bring muchly needed experience to a young WR room. 

The Colts’ corner room

The Colts’ corner room has been a pleasant surprise in camp as the young room has looked ready for the moment. But, the more reps we get to see of this group, the better our understanding of their overall play will be. 

This room has been scrutinized plenty this offseason but has had multiple players turn heads. All three rookies, Julius Brents, Darius Rush, and Jaylon Jones, look the part as NFL corners. Any more reps these young players can receive will help with their development which should be a high priority for the team. 

And the biggest riser of all Colts training camp has been Darrell Baker Jr., who went from a camp body to the top of the team's depth chart. His performance against Buffalo last week was eye-opening as he continued his success against a live opponent, and these next two weeks could be used to cement his starting job with the team. 

How much will Starters play? (If at all)

For the first time all training camp, Colts head coach Shane Steichen was unavailable to the media after Thursday’s joint practice with the Bears. Which leaves everyone in the dark on how much the team’s starters will play during the preseason game tonight. 

Often, after joint practice sessions, teams will elect not to play their starters since they were already able to basically scrimmage live game reps during the practice sessions. The Colts are in a unique situation, as their now-named starting QB Anthony Richardson needs as many live game reps as he can get before week one arrives.

Bears head coach Matt Eberflus announced that many of his team's starters will not be playing tonight. But will the Colts follow suit?

Make sure to tune in to tonight's preseason matchup between the Colts and Bears tonight at 7 pm Eastern. 

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Featured Image By: Grace Hollars/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK