The Indianapolis Colts failed to keep up in a high-scoring affair, dropping their preseason opener 34-30 against the Denver Broncos at Lucas Oil Stadium.

With the starters playing exactly two drives in order to get their feet wet, the majority of the game was played by the second, third and fourth strings.

As the position battles rage on, the preseason games are what will help determine the back end of the roster the most.

The preseason games also might be the biggest factor in determining a player’s stock throughout the process of cutting the roster down. A strong game can elevate a player’s status while a poor outing can crush his chances of making the team.

It’s a fluid process, though. One week, a player’s stock might be trending a certain way, and another week it can go in the opposite direction.

Following the preseason opener, here’s a look at the stock report for a handful of Colts players:

Colts’ stock report following first preseason game

Stock Up

G Dalton Tucker

An undrafted free-agent rookie, Tucker got some run with the second-team offense at guard. The Marshall product brings vast experience after 51 collegiate games (30 starts), and he was a bright spot on the offensive line. According to Pro Football Focus, Tucker allowed just one total pressure on 26 pass-blocking snaps. He also showed off the ability to get in space on a nice counter-trey block. There are only so many spots open on the offensive line, but Tucker made a strong impression.

CB Micah Abraham

Another rookie who shined during his opportunities, Abraham very well may have become the favorite to be the backup nickel defender behind Kenny Moore II after his performance Sunday. Also a Marshall product, the undersized defender plays much bigger than his frame. His big play came when he stripped, recovered and returned a fumble for a touchdown on a Broncos rushing attempt. He also forced an incompletion down the sideline and had a taclke for loss.

EDGE Isaiah Land

While rookie Laiatu Latu was one of the stars, we’re going to look at one of the underrated depth pieces on the defensive line. Land can serve as an edge rusher or a SAM backer in a pinch. He showed off some impressive juice getting off the line and recorded a pressure on 11 pass-rushing snaps, according to PFF. He also added four tackles (three solo) against the run.

TE Mo Alie-Cox

For all the offseason talk about Alie-Cox being a potential cut or trade candidate, the veteran tight end doesn’t appear to be going anywhere. Alie-Cox ran solely with the first-team offense and provided the biggest play for the starting offense on a 19-yard reception during the second drive. Big Mo appears to have the starting role locked up along with Kylen Granson.

Stock Down

OT Blake Freeland

Those hoping Freeland would have shown some improvements after a rough rookie season were sorely disappointed. The second-year offensive tackle played 33 snaps with the second and third-string offense at left tackle. He allowed a team-high three total pressures on 17 pass-blocking snaps, including a quarterback hit that resulted in a Sam Ehlinger interception. Freeland is still the favorite for the swing tackle role, but the gap between him and rookie Matt Goncalves is getting closer.

Run Game

It wasn’t an encouraging outing for the rushing offense. Even with Jonathan Taylor surprisingly getting the start in the preseason opener, the Colts running backs all combined to take 17 carries for 35 rushing yards. Trey Sermon left with a hamstring injury. Both Evan Hull and Tyler Goodson scored goal-line touchdowns, but they also averaged 2.0 and 2.1 yards per carry, respectively. It will get going eventually, but it wasn’t a strong outing in the slightest.

CB Dallis Flowers

Playing in his first game since suffering a torn Achilles in Week 4 last year, there clearly was some rust for Flowers. However, this performance certainly hurt his chances in the competition with Jaylon Jones for the starting boundary role. According to Pro Football Focus, Flowers allowed four receptions on six targets for a team-high 54 yards. 

MORE COLTS
Winners and losers from Colts’ preseason loss to Broncos
Biggest takeaways from Colts preseason opener
Colts surprisingly cut former Day 2 pick in latest roster projection 

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — A man and a woman are dead, and two teens related to them were injured in a domestic disturbance involving a weapon on the city’s south side, Indianapolis police say.

The names of the people involved were not immediately being released.

Medics and Indianapolis Police Department officers were called at 9 p.m. Monday to an incomplete 911 call from a home in the 600 block of Watersonway Circle. That’s a street with homes in the Rahkewood Addition off Rahke Road. That’s northeast of the intersection of West Edgewood Avenue and Bluff Road.

Police arrived to hear gunshots being fired. Dispatchers were on the phone with a caller when that happened. IMPD did not say if one of the teens had called 911.

Later, officers found the two adults dead in the back yard of a home.

The man is believed to be a former reserve police officer in Indianapolis, IMPD says.

Police recovered a firearm at the shooting scene.

IMPD declined to say who might have been the shooter.

One teen was in critical condition, and the other was stable. IMPD did not give the teens’ ages or genders.

“This is an active crime scene and this investigation is ongoing and developing,” IMPD said in a notification to the media.

People were being asked to avoid the area. A social media message said, “The IMPD will be in the area with a large presence for an ongoing investigation.”

No additional details were immediately available.

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — State police have arrested a suspect in a July 20 road rage shooting that injured an 18-year-old driver on I-465 on the west side.

Latrail L. Ramsey, 19, of Indianapolis, faces a preliminary charge of aggravated battery.

State police have not publicly identified the 18-year-old driver of the truck. The man’s injuries were not believed to be life-threatening.

The shooting happened about 9 p.m. July 20 on I-465 near the 10th Street interchange. Shortly after, a 911 caller notified police of a possible gunshot victim at the Circle K gas station on 10th Street near I-465. Officers from Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department met the 18-year-old man, who had driven a gray pickup to the station for help

The truck’s passenger was not injured.

Detectives learned from the man that he was going southbound on I-465 when another car pulled up beside him and fired several shots into the driver’s side of the truck. The suspect then sped away from the scene in a gray passenger car.

Ramsey’s arrest happened Friday, Indiana State Police said in a news release issued Monday afternoon. His arrest came after search warrants were executed. The release did not say where the searches happened, but, in addition to finding Ramsey, investigators also found a Glock switch, and a suspect in another shooting, leading to two additional arrests.

Online court records in Marion County did not show a case for Ramsey on Monday afternoon.

News 8 has reached out to state police for Ramsey’s jail-booking photo. Ramsey was not listed as being incarcerated in Marion County, according to online records.

Anyone with information on this shooting or who was in the area of I-465 and 10th Street between 8:30 p.m. and 9 p.m. Sunday and had dashcams was asked to contact Indiana State Police at 317-899-8577.