The Colts spent the offseason trying to forget how 2025 ended. The Lions spent it retooling the trenches. Both get a live look at where they stand Saturday in Indianapolis.
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SAT AUG 29 · 1:00 PM ET
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This one's about the quarterbacks before it's about anything else. Daniel Jones was named Indianapolis's starter after last year's camp battle and had the Colts rolling to an 8-2 start before a broken fibula turned into a torn Achilles and the whole season came apart. He says he expects to be full-go by camp, but until he's proven durable, every preseason snap gets watched closely. Behind him, Anthony Richardson and Riley Leonard are still fighting for the No. 2 job, a competition Shane Steichen has called '50/50.' Detroit's situation is calmer: Jared Goff returns behind a retooled front, with Penei Sewell sliding to left tackle and first-round pick Blake Miller stepping in at right tackle.
Whatever snaps the starters get Saturday will be limited, but the depth chart battles behind them matter plenty for both rosters. Detroit is nursing several situational injuries into camp — Sam LaPorta's back and Brian Branch's Achilles chief among them — while trusting Jahmyr Gibbs to anchor the backfield as the named bellcow. Indianapolis, meanwhile, is still patching a defense that got gutted late last year, with Sauce Gardner, Charvarius Ward and DeForest Buckner all missing chunks of 2025 to injury.
None of that showed up in last season's head-to-head noise, but it shapes how each team is building for the year ahead. Detroit finished 2025 on a rocky note, dropping 3 of its last 5, while Indianapolis's collapse was historic — the Colts became the first team in NFL history to start 8-2 and finish with a losing record, dropping their final 7 straight. That context colors every roster decision each staff makes over these next few weeks, preseason score be damned.
Detroit Lions
Indianapolis Colts
Dan Campbell, freshly extended through a four-year, $81 million deal, has stripped joint practices from Detroit's summer schedule this year, opting to keep the focus internal after a below-par 2025 finish. That's notable for a team trying to build chemistry among new faces up front and at receiver, where Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams and Isaac TeSlaa are the presumptive top 3 heading into camp.
Detroit Lions
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Fully healthy — no injuries to report
Indianapolis Colts
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Fully healthy — no injuries to report
Preseason results rarely tell you who wins in Week 1, but they tell you plenty about who's healthy, who's competing for real jobs, and which locker room is carrying momentum into the summer. Right now, that's Detroit's game to lose and Indianapolis's game to answer for.
