Colts open preseason with 13-13 tie against Patriots, creating plenty of evaluation questions

The Indianapolis Colts and New England Patriots played to a 13-13 tie in the Colts’ preseason opener, a result Indianapolis will treat less like a measuring stick and more like a sorting exercise. The key takeaway, as the Colts reviewed the tape, was not the final number. It was the missed chances to turn early momentum into points, and the absence of clarity at two positions of obvious importance: the playmaking rhythm in the red zone and the quarterback pecking order at the top of the depth chart.

Early in the game, the Colts’ offense had opportunities to break through, but the contest played out like a list of what-ifs. According to the game recap from Yahoo Sports, Indianapolis turned the ball over four times through the first portion of play, including periods where the team appeared poised to convert. In a preseason opener, turnovers matter for two reasons at once: they affect the immediate scoring chances and they complicate coaching evaluations by forcing extended improvisation, shorter drives, and different personnel groupings.

Both teams also came with a quarterback picture that remains unfinished in August. The Yahoo recap frames the tie as a lack of separation for either quarterback to seize the job outright. In other words, the preseason opener did not provide a clean decision, which is typical at this stage but still notable because it keeps the coaching staff from closing the door on the next round of reps.

Defensively and in special situations, Indianapolis also had evaluation work to do. The Patriots’ ability to stay attached to the game mattered because it prevented the Colts from building a comfortable lead where deeper looks become easier. Meanwhile, for the Colts, the matchup served as a reminder that “reining” title-level opponents do not need perfect conditions to create problems. Even with preseason personnel and game-to-game variability, New England’s staying power meant Indianapolis could not take every scoring chance for granted.

There is also a strategic layer to how the Colts will interpret this opener. A 13-13 tie limits what fans can read into team identity, but it can still reveal tendencies, particularly around ball security and how often the offense reaches the end zone with controlled drives rather than scrambling for field position. Coaches tend to value repetition over results in September evaluation cycles, yet the preseason’s first game often sets the tone for what must be corrected immediately.

Looking ahead, the next Colts preseason practice and preseason week will likely revolve around those themes. If the team can reduce turnovers and improve scoring conversion, it increases the odds that the quarterback competition will narrow naturally, based on consistent performance across multiple drives and different defensive looks. If not, the staff may be forced to keep the decision-making open longer, relying on later games to sort out who can handle pressure without costly mistakes.

For the Patriots, the tie is also a developmental waypoint rather than a definitive statement. New England’s value in a preseason opener is often judged by execution against a variety of looks and by how quickly the team responds when the opponent capitalizes on field-position swings. For both clubs, the immediate next watch item remains the same: do the most correctable issues, especially turnovers and end-zone efficiency, improve as the preseason progresses?