Colts vs. Lions, Preseason Week 2 Preview: Development Opportunity as Starters Sit

After two days of joint practices, the Colts and Lions face off in preseason Week 2 on Saturday. With most of the starters sitting, it's an opportunity for younger players to develop.

The Indianapolis Colts and Detroit Lions polished off two joint practices this weekend and now face off at Lucas Oil Stadium on Saturday for preseason Week 2.

Here is everything you need to know about Sunday’s matchup.

Broadcast Information

• Date/Time: Sat., Aug. 20, at 1:00pm ET
• Where: Indianapolis, Ind.; Lucas Oil Stadium
• Television: FOX59 — Greg Rakestraw (play-by-play), Rick Venturi (color), Larra Overton (sideline)
• Stream: NFL+
• To find out what games will be on in your area this weekend, check here
• Radio: WFNI 1070-AM The Fan, WLHK 97.1 HANK FM — Matt Taylor (play-by-play), Joe Reitz (color), Jeffrey Gorman (sideline)
• On-Demand: NFL+ (after the fact)

Coaching Staff

• Colts: head coach Frank Reich; offensive coordinator Marcus Brady; defensive coordinator Gus Bradley; special teams coordinator Bubba Ventrone

• Lions: head coach Dan Campbell; offensive coordinator Ben Johnson; defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn; special teams coordinator Dave Fipp

Storylines/Things to Watch

• How much will the starters play?: The majority of the Colts' established starters won't see the field on Saturday. “Most of the ones won’t play," Colts head coach Frank Reich said. "Dan (Campbell) and I talked about that way back when we said joint practices. Kind of the normal M-O is that most of the ones will not play. There may be one or two exceptions to that, where we think we need to because of depth and how many guys have to play. But for the most part, the ones will not play.” Reich later detailed how much the quarterbacks will play. “Nick (Foles) will probably play about a quarter," Reich said. "And Sam (Ehlinger) will play more than a quarter, a quarter to a quarter and a half, and Jack (Coan) will finish it up.”
  
• Who needs the developmental snaps?: The Colts have a handful of young players who have yet to see the field much in their career and are expected to play a role more significant than what they've yet seen. Aside from rookies, guys like wide receivers Dezmon Patmon and Mike Strachan, offensive linemen Danny Pinter and Will Fries, defensive linemen Dayo Odeyingbo and Ben Banogu, linebacker E.J. Speed, and cornerback Marvell Tell III could use all the snaps necessary to get exposure and continue developing.
• Positional battles continue: With three camp practices and two preseason games remaining, there are still plenty of roster spots to be settled, and this game is a huge opportunity for some clarity to be had. At the fourth running back spot, it's Ty'Son Williams vs. Deon Jackson. At fifth (and sixth?) wide receiver, it's Patmon vs. Strachan. Behind DeForest Buckner and Grover Stewart at defensive tackle, it's Curtis Brooks vs. Eric Johnson II vs. R.J. McIntosh vs. Byron Cowart. At linebacker depth, it's JoJo Domann vs. Forrest Rhyne vs. Sterling Weatherford. At the fifth (and sixth?) cornerback spots, it's Tell vs. Tony Brown vs. Anthony Chesley vs. Dallis Flowers.

Projected Weather

• (Retractable roof stadium) Mostly cloudy, 15-percent chance of precipitation, temperature in the low-80s°F, wind from the SW at 8 mph

Referee Assignment

• Head referee: Jerome Boger (18 years). Click here to see all referee assignments for Week 2.

Betting Line

• Favorite: Lions (-3.0)
• Over/Under: 39.0

Preseason Stat Leaders

Colts

• Passing: QB Sam Ehlinger (88 yards)
• Rushing: RB Nyheim Hines (26 yards)
• Receiving: WR Michael Pittman Jr. (30 yards)
• Touchdowns: TE Michael Jacobson, RB Ty'Son Williams, TE Jelani Woods (1)
• Tackles: LB Sterling Weatherford (8)
• Sacks: DE Ben Banogu, DE Kameron Cline (1.0)
• Interceptions: S Rodney McLeod, CB Isaiah Rodgers, LB Sterling Weatherford (1)

Lions

• Passing: QB David Blough (141 yards)
• Rushing: QB David Blough (22 yards)
• Receiving: WR Tom Kennedy (104 yards)
• Touchdowns: TE Devin Funchess, RB D'Andre Swift (1)
• Tackles: S Kerby Joseph (7)
• Sacks: N/A
• Interceptions: N/A

Notes

• The Colts made the following roster moves this week: removed wide receiver Strachan from the Active/Physically Unable to Perform list; released wide receiver Isaiah Ford; waived offensive lineman Brandon Kemp, cornerback Alex Myres, wide receiver Michael Young Jr.; placed tight end Drew Ogletree on Injured Reserve
• Reich on valuing joint practices more than preseason games: “Yeah, you just get so many more and you can control what situations you get. You don’t always get every situation in a game. But when you practice against a team, we can make sure to get the situations that we know we need work on. That is the advantage. From a count wise, the ones probably got about 20 plays yesterday and probably about 20-some today, or if you count the seven-on-seven more than that. That’s good work for both sides of the ball.”

Catch Before The Game

• Stock Up, Stock Down Report from Colts vs. Bills
• Colts Fringe-Roster Players that Improved Their Chances in the Preseason Opener
• Colts' Strachan Ready to 'Dominate, Be the Beast That I Am'
• Colts Training Camp Journal, Day 12: Ryan, Offense Tame Lions, Ogletree Goes Down
• Report: Colts' Ogletree Suffers Torn ACL, Out for Season
• Colts Training Camp Journal, Day 13: Defense Stands Its Ground
• Reich Pleased with Joint Practice, Leonard, Pierce
• Locked On Colts: Pierce, Strachan Biggest Risers in Joint Practices with Lions
• Joint Practice Better than Games? Reich Explains
• Position Groups to Watch in Colts vs. Lions Preseason Matchup

What do you expect from this game? Drop your thoughts below in the comment section!

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