Preseason scripts rarely survive contact with a collapsing pocket. Thursday night in Foxborough, Anthony Richardson Sr. will live in that cramped space for an entire half. Every evaluation starts there. Can he reach the back foot of his drop before the center gives ground? Can he climb instead of escaping sideways? Can Indianapolis keep a defensive tackle from appearing between his numbers and the intended receiver? Those questions make the Colts’ interior blocking far more interesting than the scoreboard.
Richardson will start and play the first half against New England. Riley Leonard gets the second. Daniel Jones, Indianapolis’ QB1, will sit through at least the first two preseason games as the Colts protect his return from the Achilles injury that ended his 2025 season. Richardson and Leonard remain locked in the competition behind him.
That turns Thursday into a real examination for Richardson but also for the bodies directly in front of him. New England owns the kind of interior defensive depth that can destroy timing without producing a single spectacular sack. The danger comes straight up the middle.
New England can Squeeze a Pocket Before it Ever Forms
Start with Christian Barmore and Milton Williams. Next Gen Stats credited the pair with 87 quarterback pressures in 2025, even though Williams missed five games. Their combined sack total reached only 5.5, which tells the larger story. They did not need to finish every rush to change plays. They forced quarterbacks off landmarks, shortened reads, and made clean pockets feel dirty.
Williams can win with power. Barmore can turn a bull rush into a rip or swim once a blocker plants too heavily. New England then has Cory Durden occupying the middle, with Leonard Taylor III, Eric Gregory, and Joshua Farmer filling out the next wave on the current depth chart. That depth matters Thursday.
Barmore did not participate in Tuesday’s joint work against Indianapolis. Mike Vrabel explained that the Patriots wanted to manage a veteran who has already played significant football. There is no reason to build the preseason matchup around one glamorous Nelson-Barmore confrontation that may barely materialize. The more revealing fight will come later.
Once the established starters leave, New England can keep sending fresh defensive tackles at offensive linemen trying to win jobs. That is where Colts interior blocking becomes a roster question rather than a star-versus-star attraction.
A backup guard cannot hide when a 300-pound tackle drives him four yards backward. No play design can disguise a center being deposited into his quarterback’s lap.
Indianapolis has Invested Heavily in the Middle
The Colts did not stumble into their starting interior trio. They drafted Quenton Nelson sixth overall in 2018, then added Matt Goncalves at No. 79 and Tanor Bortolini at No. 117 in the 2024 draft. Nelson remains the veteran pillar at left guard. Bortolini now sits atop the depth chart at center, while Goncalves has moved inside to right guard.
That construction gives Indianapolis muscle and familiarity. Nelson still changes run plays with his first contact. His best snaps look almost unfair. He catches a defender square, rolls his hips through the block, and clears daylight before the runner reaches the line.
Bortolini brings a different value. Centers fight a mental battle before the physical one begins. They identify fronts, communicate potential pressure, and make sure five blockers see the same picture.
Goncalves adds size and versatility. Indianapolis drafted him as a tackle, and his experience outside gives him an understanding of rush angles that can translate well inside. Together, they make Colts interior blocking one of the more stable pieces around Jones.
Thursday may tell Indianapolis something more important: how much of that stability survives once those three are gone.
The Backup Line Carries the Real Pressure
Shane Steichen said a “slew” of Colts starters will sit against New England. A couple could receive limited work, but Indianapolis expects second-team and third-team players to handle most of the game. That changes the lens completely.
Behind Nelson sit Dalton Tucker and Josh Sills. Jimmy Morrissey and Geno VanDeMark follow Bortolini at center. Rookie Jalen Farmer, a fourth-round selection this spring, backs up Goncalves on the right side. Those are the matchups worth circling.
A preseason protection breakdown rarely arrives with a cinematic warning. The defense might show four rushers, then twist two tackles after the snap. One crashes hard toward the center. Another loops behind him. The guard must feel the exchange before he sees it. Miss that handoff and the pocket caves instantly.
In that moment, Richardson cannot care whether the mistake came from a rookie guard or a reserve center. He sees only a jersey flashing through his throwing lane. Colts interior blocking must give him enough space to prove something about himself rather than spend the night revealing problems around him.
Richardson Does not Need Hero Ball Thursday
The temptation with Richardson will always be obvious. He is 6 foot 4, roughly 244 pounds, and possesses an arm that encourages difficult throws. When protection fails, his athleticism also gives him an emergency exit few quarterbacks possess.
That can become a trap in August. Indianapolis does not need Richardson turning every broken pocket into a backyard scramble. The Colts need evidence that he can identify pressure, move within structure, and choose the boring answer when the defense wins.
A four-yard checkdown can be a good snap. So can throwing the football away. The worst outcome would be Richardson feeling interior heat, drifting backward, and trying to rescue the play with arm talent. Interior pressure punishes that instinct because retreat makes every throw longer. It also gives edge rushers time to close from behind.
Strong Colts interior blocking changes his entire picture. A firm pocket lets Richardson step forward instead of sideways. His lower body stays connected to the throw. Intermediate routes have another beat to uncover. Suddenly, coaches can grade the quarterback rather than the chaos.
Tuesday Showed What Clean Protection can Unlock
The Colts already saw the other version during Tuesday’s joint practice. With Jones running the first-team offense, Indianapolis closed the session with a late-game drill. Jones hit Tyler Warren three straight times, including a deep sideline completion that moved the ball to New England’s five. He then found Josh Downs for the touchdown.
Steichen praised the entire operation afterward. He specifically pointed to communication at the line, correct decisions with the football, and the offensive line’s protection. That sequence offered a useful blueprint for Thursday.
Jones did not need to flee. The offense stayed on schedule. Warren had time to work into open grass, and Downs eventually finished the drive. However, Tuesday came with the first unit protecting the established starter. Thursday removes that comfort.
Richardson and Leonard will work through shifting line combinations. New England can answer with its own rotations. Procedural mistakes, late communication, and unfamiliar pairings become part of every evaluation. That is why Colts interior blocking matters beyond simple pressure totals.
Protection is choreography. Five men can win individually and still lose the snap if two of them block the same rusher.
New England Does not Need Pressure to Create Problems
Vrabel can keep the defensive menu simple and still learn plenty. The Patriots reached the Super Bowl last season with an interior front capable of wrecking protections without constant blitz help. Williams and Barmore drew attention that opened cleaner rush lanes elsewhere. At times, the protection had to choose which problem deserved the extra blocker.
Williams demonstrated that effect late last season. Against Miami in Week 18, he drew seven double teams in only 26 snaps. One protection slid his way and helped create the one-on-one that Barmore converted into a sack. That is what elite interior pairings do.
They change the math. Even if the Patriots keep their stars on the sideline Thursday, the same concepts can test Indianapolis’ reserves. A tackle crashing across a guard’s face forces instant communication. A linebacker threatening the A-gap can change the protection before dropping into coverage. The physical battle starts after the snap. The mental battle begins seconds earlier.
The Run Game Offers Indianapolis an Answer
The easiest way to slow a defensive tackle is to make him honor something other than the quarterback. Indianapolis can do that through the ground game. Inside zone forces defenders to fight laterally. Duo asks guards and centers to generate movement through combination blocks. Play-action then uses that aggression against the front.
A bruising rushing attack also forces pass rushers to hesitate. Half a step matters. For the Colts, the value goes beyond gaining four yards. Each clean double team tells the staff something about its young linemen. Can Farmer create movement beside a reserve center? Can Tucker keep his hips square through contact? Can the interior pass a defender cleanly when the front slants after the snap?
Those answers will matter in December more than Thursday’s final score. Injuries eventually test every offensive line. Starters miss snaps. Guards change sides. Centers disappear in the middle of drives. Before long, the sixth and seventh linemen stop being depth-chart decorations. They become the offense.
Thursday can Reveal Whether the Protection Travels
The most meaningful moment Thursday may never make a highlight package. Richardson could take a shotgun snap on third-and-seven. New England might mug the interior gaps, force Indianapolis to reset its protection, and then twist two defensive linemen after the ball moves. The crowd will see a pass.
Coaches will see five separate decisions happening at once. If the Colts’ interior blocking handles the exchange, Richardson can hitch once and drive the football downfield. Should the protection fail, the play becomes an improvisation drill before the route concept has a chance to breathe. That difference will shape how Indianapolis evaluates the entire night.
The Colts already know what Nelson can do. They know Jones commands the starting job, and the organization officially lists Richardson as Anthony Richardson Sr., removing any ambiguity around the name he now uses. Thursday is about the next layer.
Can Richardson look composed when New England muddies the middle? Can Leonard do the same after halftime? More importantly, can Indianapolis protect both quarterbacks when the familiar starters have traded helmets for baseball caps on the sideline? Preseason football rarely provides definitive answers.
Still, the pocket rarely lies. If Indianapolis keeps the middle firm, Richardson gets the clean evaluation he needs. If New England keeps folding that pocket inward, the Colts may leave Foxborough with a much more urgent question about the depth protecting their quarterbacks.
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FAQ’s
How much will Anthony Richardson play against New England?
Coach Shane Steichen plans to play Anthony Richardson for the entire first half. Riley Leonard will take over at quarterback for the second half.
Why is Daniel Jones sitting out the preseason game?
The Colts are sitting Daniel Jones to protect his return from an Achilles injury. He will miss at least the first two preseason games.
Who starts on the interior offensive line for the Colts?
Quenton Nelson starts at left guard, Tanor Bortolini plays center, and Matt Goncalves starts at right guard. They anchor the starting interior blocking unit.
What makes New England’s interior defensive line dangerous?
Christian Barmore and Milton Williams collapse pockets quickly up the middle. Their constant pressure forces quarterbacks off their spots and ruins play timing.
Which backup offensive linemen will play for the Colts?
Reserve linemen Dalton Tucker, Josh Sills, Jimmy Morrissey, Geno VanDeMark, and rookie Jalen Farmer will handle most of the snaps on Thursday night.
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