Horseshoe Huddle

How Much Will Colts' QBs, Starters Play vs. Packers?

How much will Indianapolis Colts QBs Anthony Richardson, Daniel Jones, and the starters play Saturday against the Green Bay Packers?
Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson Sr. (5) and quarterback Daniel Jones (17) throw the ball Thursday, Aug. 14, 2025, at a joint practice with the Green Bay Packers during training camp at Grand Park in Westfield.
Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson Sr. (5) and quarterback Daniel Jones (17) throw the ball Thursday, Aug. 14, 2025, at a joint practice with the Green Bay Packers during training camp at Grand Park in Westfield. | Christine Tannous/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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The Indianapolis Colts will host the Green Bay Packers at Lucas Oil Stadium on Saturday for Indy's second of three preseason matchups.

The quarterback position and the battle to be the starter between Anthony Richardson Sr. and Daniel Jones is still top of mind for Colts fans, as head coach Shane Steichen has yet to make a decision on who will lead the offense during the regular season.

As such, Saturday's game against the Packers -- and perhaps even the preseason finale next Saturday against the Cincinnati Bengals -- will be heavily scrutinized by the Colts to ultimately come to their conclusion.

“Daniel Jones will start this game," Colts head coach Shane Steichen told reporters earlier in the week. "He'll play a couple series, and then Anthony (Richardson Sr.) will finish the first half... Starters will play about a quarter – is the plan right now.”

Meanwhile, according to Packers head coach Matt LaFleur, very few, if any, of Green Bay's starters are expected to play.

The Colts' original plan heading into last week's preseason opener against the Baltimore Ravens was for Richardson to start, play about half of the first quarter, and then Jones would take over for the rest of the first half. The vast majority of Colts' starters did not play last Thursday, but the Colts still needed to evaluate the quarterbacks in a game setting, regardless.

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The plan was forced to be slightly adjusted, as Richardson suffered an injury on the Colts' second offensive drive and left for the rest of the game. Richardson failed to spot an unblocked blitzer before the snap, as he was then sacked hard to the field, dislocating his right pinky finger.

Indianapolis Colts QB Anthony Richardson looks to pass during the first quarter, pressured by the Baltimore Ravens.
Aug 7, 2025; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson Sr. (5) looks to pass during the first quarter pressured by Baltimore Ravens nose tackle John Jenkins (62) at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mitch Stringer-Imagn Images | Mitch Stringer-Imagn Images

Richardson returned to the field for the Colts' next practice, but Steichen said they would try to find ways to make up any reps they felt Richardson missed.

Along with figuring out their quarterback spot, there are some other young, new starters who need reps in center Tanor Bortolini and right guard Matt Goncalves. The Colts also need to determine their starting WILL linebacker, as well as who is best suited to fill in at cornerback for injured players Justin Walley, Kenny Moore II, Jaylon Jones, and JuJu Brents.

The Colts just concluded their training camp portion of the summer program, at Grand Park Sports Campus in Westfield, Ind. They had 14 practices (including one on the road against the Ravens), and now have two preseason games remaining to make their determination on the starting quarterback.

For the most part, the quarterbacks are about even in the competition, as Steichen recently acknowledged.

With that being the case, the Colts' coaching staff needs these final two weeks -- every bit of data possible -- to decide who the starting quarterback for the Colts will be.

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Jake Arthur
JAKE ARTHUR

Jake Arthur is the co-deputy editor of Indianapolis Colts on SI and has covered the NFL and the Indianapolis Colts for a decade. He is a member of the Professional Football Writers of America (PFWA), and his works have been featured on SBNation, MSN, Yahoo, and Bleacher Report. He has also contributed to multiple NFL Draft guides and co-hosts the Locked On Colts podcast.

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