When the Indianapolis Colts face the New England Patriots on Thursday night, the Colts at Patriots screen game may provide the cleanest evaluation of their quarterbacks. Forget the 40-yard throw for a moment. Watch the four-yard flip behind a releasing guard.
That play asks more from a quarterback than the box score suggests. He must recognize the rush, hold the defense for a beat and deliver a catchable ball without rushing the timing. Meanwhile, three blockers may already be accelerating toward linebackers in space.
The Colts have a specific reason to study those details. Indianapolis’ official Aug. 10 depth chart lists Daniel Jones as QB1, but Shane Steichen plans to sit him at Gillette Stadium. Riley Leonard and Anthony Richardson Sr. will split the quarterback work as they compete for the backup job.
That changes the value of Thursday’s snaps. Indianapolis does not need Richardson or Leonard chasing preseason highlights. Steichen needs evidence that either quarterback can operate the offense when an aggressive front crowds the pocket. A well-designed Colts at Patriots screen game can provide exactly that.
Why the Colts at Patriots Screen Game Comes Down to QB Control
Richardson and Leonard have spent training camp rotating between Indianapolis’ second and third-team offenses. The competition remains open, and neither quarterback has separated enough for the Colts to name Jones’ primary backup. Their challenges differ.
Richardson still owns the more explosive physical profile. His arm strength can threaten every level, while his acceleration gives Indianapolis an escape hatch when protection breaks down. However, the Colts need to see whether he can consistently manage the less spectacular parts of quarterback play.
Richardson acknowledged that himself during camp. Colts.com reported that he wants to improve his command of the offense even though he feels comfortable with his decisions about where to deliver the football. Leonard, meanwhile, said anticipation remains an area he wants to sharpen.
Those are screen-pass skills. On a slow-developing slip screen, the quarterback cannot simply catch the snap and dump the ball immediately. Throw too early and the defensive tackle reads the release. Wait too long and an unblocked rusher arrives before the back reaches his landmark.
A tunnel screen demands something different. The quarterback often needs to influence the defense outside before firing back toward blockers working inside. Even a basic perimeter screen tests ball placement because a throw behind the receiver destroys the blocking angles. Consequently, Steichen can grade far more than completion percentage.
Did Richardson manipulate the rush before releasing the football? Can Leonard recognize when New England changes the picture after the snap? Does either quarterback drift backward and make an easy throw harder?
Those details matter because the backup cannot run a stripped-down version of the offense if Jones leaves a regular-season game. Indianapolis needs someone who can preserve the timing and spacing that make Steichen’s system work. The Colts at Patriots screen game offers a controlled way to find out.
New England Gives Indianapolis the Right Defensive Test
The Patriots provide a useful opponent because their defensive identity encourages pursuit. Mike Vrabel remains New England’s head coach, while Zak Kuhr enters 2026 as defensive coordinator after serving as the Patriots’ defensive play caller during part of last season. Under that structure, New England finished 2025 allowing 295.2 yards per game. The Patriots also surrendered 320 total points and 101.7 rushing yards per game, according to the team’s official coaching profile for Kuhr.
That unit attacks quickly. Veteran linebacker Robert Spillane led New England with 97 combined tackles last season. Along the edge, Harold Landry, Dre’Mont Jones and second-round rookie Gabe Jacas give the Patriots several different body types to rotate through the pass rush.
Indianapolis can use that aggressiveness against them. Consider a traditional running back slip screen against pressure. The Colts’ tackles initially invite the edge rush upfield. Interior linemen show pass protection long enough to keep the linebackers attached to the pocket. Then the center and a guard release.
The quarterback retreats. The running back waits. Only then does the ball come out. If the rushers recognize the concept, New England can smother it before Indianapolis establishes a convoy. However, one edge defender charging five yards beyond the quarterback can remove himself from the play without anyone blocking him.
The same principle applies against interior pressure. Steichen can call a delayed middle screen behind a blitzing linebacker, forcing New England’s second level to reverse direction after attacking downhill.
That creates the football-specific tension Thursday needs. New England wants its young defenders playing fast. Indianapolis can test whether fast becomes reckless.
Jonathan Taylor and Tyler Warren make the Disguise Harder
Indianapolis already possesses two players who can turn short throws into structural problems for a defense. Jonathan Taylor carried 323 times for 1,585 yards and 18 rushing touchdowns in 2025. He also caught 46 passes for 378 yards and two scores. Those figures come from official Colts statistics, which also show Taylor ranking third in the NFL in rushing yards and first in rushing touchdowns.
His receiving production matters here. When Taylor aligns beside the quarterback, linebackers cannot treat his movement as decoration. A flare can become a route. A protection assignment can become a delayed release. Play-action can pull the second level forward before Taylor slips behind it.
However, Indianapolis does not need heavy Taylor usage in a preseason opener to explore those ideas. The more interesting evaluation may come behind him. The Colts list DJ Giddens and rookie Seth McGowan as the next two backs behind Taylor. Indianapolis has described both as strong contenders for the No. 2 role after Taylor handled the league’s heaviest workload in 2025.
Giddens also offers relevant history. Offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter praised his ability during his rookie season to find creases, read defensive flow and work with his blockers. However, Giddens missed Sunday’s practice with a hamstring issue, making his Thursday availability worth watching.
McGowan has created his own momentum. Colts camp coverage noted that the rookie received substantial first-team work during a recent practice, giving Indianapolis another back to evaluate behind Taylor. The screen game can separate those backs in ways an inside handoff cannot.
Running a screen requires patience before acceleration. The back must hide behind the rush, locate his blockers and avoid outrunning the geometry of the play. A premature cut can leave the center blocking empty grass.
Then there is Tyler Warren. Warren enters his second NFL season after catching 76 passes for 817 yards and four touchdowns as a rookie. Colts records show those totals established franchise rookie tight end marks for receptions and receiving yards at the position. Steichen can use that versatility to disguise screens before the snap.
Warren can align attached to the formation, shift into the slot or move toward the backfield. A tight-end delay screen from one of those looks forces linebackers to decide whether he intends to block, release vertically or disappear underneath the rush. That hesitation creates space without requiring Indianapolis to win a one-on-one matchup downfield.
The Blocking Mechanics will tell Steichen Plenty
No screen survives bad timing up front. Indianapolis’ offensive line has to sell pass protection for a split-second before climbing toward the second level. Leave immediately and New England’s defensive linemen will recognize the invitation. Stay engaged too long and the back catches the football without blockers in front of him.
The center often becomes the key piece. After showing protection, he may need to release through traffic and locate a scraping middle linebacker. A guard can take the outside path and account for a defensive back closing from the alley. Neither blocker can simply sprint toward the nearest Patriots jersey.
Angles decide the play. That makes Thursday valuable for reserve linemen as well as quarterbacks. New England’s preseason rotations will force Indianapolis to communicate against unfamiliar fronts and personnel combinations.
Despite the pressure, Richardson and Leonard must trust that timing. A quarterback who sees an edge rusher coming free may want to unload the ball immediately. On a screen, that instinct can ruin the design. He has to let the defender approach far enough to create space behind him without turning patience into a sack.
That balancing act connects directly to quarterback development. Stacking quick completions can settle the passer’s feet, but the greater benefit comes from processing. A successful screen game forces the quarterback to understand why the rush looks open instead of merely reacting to it. The result may only count as a seven-yard completion.
Thursday could Make a Simple Play Meaningful
Preseason Week 1 will not decide Indianapolis’ season, and Steichen has already removed his starting quarterback from the equation. Thursday instead belongs to evaluation. That makes efficiency more valuable than spectacle.
Richardson has a chance to show improved command. Leonard can demonstrate quicker anticipation. Giddens and McGowan can strengthen their cases behind Taylor. Reserve linemen can prove they understand how to block moving targets rather than simply surviving individual pass-rush reps.
Across the field, New England gets a complementary test. Kuhr can evaluate whether his linebackers diagnose misdirection before attacking. Edge defenders must distinguish a genuine pass-rush win from an offensive lineman intentionally letting them through. Finally, tackling will determine whether Indianapolis merely completes screens or turns them into explosives.
A five-yard throw can become a chunk gain when the first linebacker takes a poor angle and the center reaches the safety. Conversely, a Patriots defender who diagnoses the concept immediately can erase the play before its blockers ever reach open grass. That is why the Colts at Patriots screen game deserves more attention than its average depth of target suggests.
Thursday’s loudest play may still come from a deep ball or a quarterback scramble. Those moments will fill highlight packages. The more useful evidence could arrive on something far quieter: Richardson or Leonard backing away from pressure, waiting half a second longer than feels comfortable, then dropping the football over the rush to a back with two blockers in front.
If Indianapolis executes that sequence repeatedly, Steichen will learn something meaningful about his quarterbacks. If it breaks down, he will learn even more.
READ MORE: Green Bay Packers Must Prove Clock Management vs Pittsburgh Steelers
FAQ’s
Who is starting at quarterback for the Colts on Thursday?
Daniel Jones sits out the preseason opener. Anthony Richardson Sr. and Riley Leonard will split quarterback reps against New England.
Why is the screen game so important in this game?
Screen passes test quarterback timing and pocket command under pressure. They reveal how well quarterbacks execute Shane Steichen’s offense without taking big hits.
Which running backs are playing behind Jonathan Taylor?
DJ Giddens and rookie Seth McGowan compete for the backup running back role. Both players offer strong options behind Jonathan Taylor.
Who calls defense for the New England Patriots?
Defensive coordinator Zak Kuhr calls the defense for head coach Mike Vrabel. He leads an aggressive unit that attacks quickly downhill.
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