Jake's Takes | Trio of Colts Star On Offense vs. Lions

The Indianapolis Colts hosted the Detroit Lions at Lucas Oil Stadium on Saturday, and although the vast majority of starters didn't play, there were plenty of observations to be had.

The Colts dropped the game, 27-26, but they saw some positive things on both sides of the ball.

Here are some of my main observations from Saturday.

—The Sam Ehlinger conundrum. Ehlinger earned the Colts' backup quarterback spot as a rookie last year, but the Colts brought in veteran Nick Foles this offseason to back up their new starter, Matt Ryan, dropping Ehlinger to QB3. However, Ehlinger looks even better this summer and has made it a legitimate thought whether or not he or Foles should be Ryan's backup. Another side of the matter is that Ehlinger may compel the team to keep three quarterbacks on the regular-season roster for the sake of not losing him. Ehlinger may also garner interest from other teams in a trade. The ascension in his play has created a good problem for the Colts. After a solid game last week against the Buffalo Bills, Ehlinger was at it again versus Detroit, completing 81.8% of his passes, totaling 136 passing yards, and tossing two touchdowns for a passer rating of 157.8.

—Develop the youngins. The Colts elected not to play the majority of their starters. However, exceptions were made for positions lacking depth and for young players likely to be on the roster who needed the developmental snaps. Offensively, the Colts started left tackle Matt Pryor as well as right guard Danny Pinter at center, which also helps keep the latter sharp to back up Ryan Kelly during the season if necessary. Starting receivers Alec Pierce and Parris Campbell also saw action, as did tight end Kylen Granson. Rookie offensive tackle Bernhard Raimann didn't start the game but he did play for a good chunk of it. Defensively, we saw linebacker E.J. Speed and strong safety Nick Cross start the game. Defensive linemen Dayo Odeyingbo, Ben Banogu, Curtis Brooks, and Eric Johnson II played most of the game.

—Dezmon Patmon vs. Mike Strachan, or Dezmon Patmon and Mike Strachan? A week ago, the Colts had four quality tight ends that we assumed would make the roster, wide receiver Mike Strachan was on the Physically Unable to Perform list, and fellow receiver Dezmon Patmon had yet to make a strong case for the roster. Fast forward and the Colts lost tight end Drew Ogletree for the season to an ACL tear, Strachan returned from the PUP list, and he and Patmon both had a terrific game against the Lions. Patmon caught 5-of-6 targets for a game-high 103 yards (20.6 avg.), including a 50-yard touchdown. Strachan caught all 3 targets for 45 yards (15.0 avg.) and a 15-yard touchdown of his own. With one less tight end and two receivers heating up, we might start talking about both Patmon and Strachan making the roster rather than just one or the other.

—Tyquan Lewis. Lewis suffered a season-ending patellar (knee) injury last Halloween, which is a historically difficult injury to return to normal from. However, Lewis was ready to hit the practice field as training camp began and has been a bright spot on the Colts' defensive line. He doesn't appear to have lost any of his speed or explosion, and he made a few plays against Detroit on Saturday. He's been a valuable member of the Colts' front throughout his career, and it's great to see him rebound and hopefully continue that trend.

—Five, six defensive ends? We can say with some confidence that the four-man group of defensive ends Yannick Ngakoue, Kwity Paye, Lewis, and Odeyingbo will be on the Colts' Week 1 roster. However, is it Banogu or Ifeadi Odenigbo that makes it five or six defensive ends on the roster? Odenigbo has turned up his game over the last two weeks of camp and preseason games while Banogu remains looking like an explosive player but hasn't distanced himself in the competition. Odenigbo had 3 tackles and 1.0 sack on Saturday.

What were your biggest takeaways from Saturday? Drop your thoughts below in the comment section!

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