Recap: Thumbs Up, Thumbs Down from Colts’ 27-17 preseason win over Lions

The Indianapolis Colts are now undefeated in the preseason for the first time since 1994. It’s time to celebrate a rarity in Indy.

Below, a new series that will come after every Colts game: Thumbs Up, Thumbs Down. I will look into how a player or area of the game looked, then categorize it in a positive or negative manner.

Without further ado, let’s dive into Thumbs Up, Thumbs Down — preseason edition!

Thumbs Up: Kwity Paye

Once again, Kwity Paye looked the part of an instant impact contributor for the Colts’ defense. For the second game in a row, Paye registered an early sack. Easily beating the Lions’ left tackle on the play, Paye showed off his unique blend of explosiveness off the edge as he beat Kemoko Turay on the race to the quarterback.

Paye doing what he’s done in preseason action without DeForest Buckner alongside him, the No. 21 overall pick could be in line for a double-digit sack rookie campaign.

Thumbs Down: Sam Tevi

Tevi went down early in the second half with an injury being carted off the field, but before that it was once again an awful outing for him. Tevi has no chance of making the Colts’ 53-man roster.

Practice squad pass rushers from the Vikings and Lions have abused Tevi the past two weeks. There’s a legitimate chance Tevi may have played his way out of being on an NFL roster for awhile. It was that horrendous for Tevi throughout training camp and preseason play.

Thumbs Up: Kylen Granson

After an inconsistent preseason, it was nice to see Granson find some rhythm in the Colts’ preseason finale. Indianapolis’ fourth-round pick hauled in three receptions for 23 yards in the first half.

Granson figures to play an early role within the Colts’ offense as their move tight end. If the former SMU Mustang can find more consistency, he could emerge even more later on in the regular season.

Thumbs Down: Shawn Davis

What a rough outing for the Colts’ fifth-round pick. Multiple missed tackles and assignments, Davis simply seemed undisciplined against Detroit. With the emergence of Andre Chachere in training camp, Davis could be on the outside looking in for a roster spot as safety seems pretty loaded right now.

The question is, could Davis squeeze through waivers and make it back to Indianapolis’ practice squad? If not, Davis may make the main roster anyways due to overall upside.

Thumbs Up: Jacob Eason

I think this was Eason’s best outing yet in the preseason, and he’s officially locked up the backup job behind Carson Wentz. Eason went 10-of-14 for 74 yards being very efficient in multiple situations.

In each of the Colts’ preseason outings, Eason has found a rhythm and looked the part of a spot-starter in the NFL. If Eason can figure out how to control the speed on the football around the line of scrimmage, he has real upside long-term.

After Sam Ehlinger made this a real competition, Eason began to separate himself over the last two weeks. Eason is locked in as Indy’s QB2.

Thumbs Up: Deon Jackson

Jackson was the Colts’ highest paid undrafted free agent. Will he keep the UDFA streak alive another year after a very strong finish to his preseason? Jackson finished with 81 yards on 10 carries, plus two touchdowns.

I do wonder if the Colts could trade Jordan Wilkins for a late-round pick in the 2022 draft if they feel Jackson can play on special teams and fill Indy’s RB4 role.

That’s unlikely, but Jackson definitely deserves a mention with his strong second half in the preseason finale.