Indianapolis Colts – Denver Broncos: 30-34 – Bo Nix already in the rhythm
Open and prolific match in Indianapolis!
While the crowd was waiting for Anthony Richardson, back after a long injury, the Colts quarterback only led two drives. Accompanied by the starting players in the attack, he didn't really shine and didn't know how to get the score going (2/4, 25 yards). So it was up to Joe Flacco, a recruit from the offseason, to lead his team to the first 3 points of the game (3/5, 28 yards). Then the substitutes came one after the other before rookie Jason Bean (4/6, 61 yards, 1TD) went for the only passing touchdown for the home team. It was more on the side of runners Evan Hull (8 carries, 16 yards, 1 TD) and Tyler Goodson (7 carries, 15 yards, 1 TD) that Indianapolis needed to get its points tonight.
On the Broncos side, Sean Payton had warned: The 3 quarterbacks are in competition. After two decent series led by an unlucky Jarrett Stidham (4/7, 37 yards, 1 INT), it was Bo Nix who took the reins… In a very beautiful way! The rookie first led his team to a field goal on his only series with the starters, then threw a touchdown to Marvin Mims on his second drive. Brilliantly punctuating his performance, the ex-Oregon player found his way to another field goal and then to another touchdown concluded on the run by Audric Estime. Bo Nix finished with a solid record: 15/21, 125 yards, 1 touchdown, as well as 17 yards on the run.
As for the third man (Zach Wilson), he was rather comfortable in the Colorado attack. His performance was convincing with 10 completed passes out of 13 for 117 yards.
Los Angeles Rams – Dallas Cowboys: 13-12
There was a former No. 3 overall pick on the field. After being traded to Dallas mid-season, Trey Lance (25/41, 188 yards) played most of the game after watching Cooper Rush (2/3, 44 yards) lead the first series. Lance was still lacking in accuracy at times, and Rush seems to have the edge as Dak Prescott's backup. Lance was most notable on the ground, with 44 yards gained on 6 carries.
As usual in the preseason, the Rams rested all their major players. Stetson Bennett (24/38, 224 yards, 1 TD, 4 int) was therefore able to play the entire game. And it was not easy for the player selected in the 4th round in 2023, who was intercepted four times! It was not until the very last offensive series that he threw a touchdown and gave his team the victory.
The satisfaction of the evening for Los Angeles was a rookie. Jordan Whittington, selected in the 6th round of the last Draft, caught 6 balls for 74 yards.
