Anthony Richardson’s sharp preseason start lifts Colts to 13-13 tie with Patriots

The Indianapolis Colts opened their 2026 preseason slate with a 13-13 tie against the New England Patriots on Thursday at Gillette Stadium, using the early matchup to work through a new-look rotation that left most starters on the sideline. In that setting, quarterback Anthony Richardson Sr. delivered one of the cleanest runs of the night, finding the end zone and showing why the Colts’ staff wants him pushing play-action and designed runs even when the full second-unit picture is still coming into focus.

According to the Colts’ official game recap, Richardson completed 11 of 14 passes, a completion percentage that kept drives alive and limited the kind of back-and-forth that can take over preseason games when timing is still being tuned. He also added 53 rushing yards on the night, producing the dual-threat threat that has become central to how Indianapolis wants to build its down-to-down offense.

Richardson’s touchdown provided the difference in one key moment, giving the Colts a scoring answer that matched New England’s output through the first look at the preseason game plan. The final result, a tie at 13, underscored how much both teams were still in evaluation mode, with game flow shaped by substitutions and situational reps rather than a single unit’s dominance.

The game arrived as the Colts’ return to live preseason football, and their approach mirrored the early stage of the exhibition season. The Colts’ recap notes that Indianapolis carried virtually all but two starters on the sideline, emphasizing that the goals for Week 1 are often less about scoreboard separation and more about quarterback rhythm, red-zone execution, and the performance of players trying to secure roles.

For Richardson, preseason openness can matter in a different way. Even when the regular-season stakes are weeks away, the quarterback’s job is to translate preparation into timing, especially on throws that rely on spacing and on runs that require precise reads. His 11-of-14 passing line and 53-yard rushing output, as described by the team, were a strong early indication that he could operate within scripted looks while still making plays outside the script.

New England, meanwhile, used its home field as a proving ground with its own selective lineup, creating a matchup where neither side could fully settle into a repeatable rhythm. The Patriots’ offense and defense both found answers that kept the Colts from running away with the game, leading to the rare preseason ending that does not separate the teams even as both staffs learn from the same set of live reps.

What to watch next is how the Colts turn Richardson’s opening performance into a consistent preseason sequence as the exhibition schedule progresses, particularly on possessions where play calling and protection need to match the speed of live action. With Richardson producing both through the air and on the ground in this opener, Indianapolis’s next step will be determining how quickly that production can be maintained across more game situations and longer stretches of continuity.

For fans, the immediate takeaway is not that a preseason tie determines the regular-season outcome, but that it offers a clearer picture of where Richardson currently fits within Indianapolis’ offensive timing. If the Colts can build on this type of early efficiency and threat balance, it keeps the quarterback position from feeling like a question entering the final preseason work before Week 1 of the regular season.