Colts Visit Foxborough in Preseason Opener—Starters Sit, Depth Charts Speak

The NFL preseason kicks off Thursday night with Indianapolis making the trip to Gillette Stadium, and if you're expecting fireworks, adjust those expectations immediately. This is August football in its purest form—vanilla schemes, veteran rest days, and roster bubble guys fighting for their professional lives.

Neither coaching staff will tip their hand schematically, which means we're watching third-stringers execute basic playbooks while special teams coordinators furiously scribble notes. The Colts will likely give their established starters a series or two at most before turning things over to camp competitors. Same story in New England, where Bill Belichick's successor continues the Patriot Way tradition of treating preseason Week 1 like a glorified scrimmage.

What matters here isn't the final score—it's evaluating young quarterbacks, identifying which undrafted free agents can actually play, and praying nobody tears an ACL on a meaningless drive. The betting markets will overreact to every completed pass from a fourth-string QB, but sharp money knows better.

DarkHorse hasn't issued a pick yet, which tells you everything about the randomness baked into this contest. If you're action-hungry, find a prop bet on total punts or something equally absurd. Otherwise, enjoy the return of football without overthinking it.