Recapping Riley Leonard's performance in Colts vs. Patriots game

After Anthony Richardson played the first half in the Indianapolis Colts’ preseason opener against New England, Riley Leonard took over in the second half.

While Richardson was mostly efficient, Leonard was just 10-for-21 passing, totaling 89 yards, with an interception on an underthrown downfield ball into tight coverage. He put the ball on the ground once as well.

Contributing to Leonard’s low completion percentage were multiple batted passes at the line of scrimmage. He also faced pressure, which certainly didn’t help things either.

And as has been documented during training camp, the Indy Star’s Nathan Brown noted that Leonard held the ball too long at times as well in this game — although whether that was a product of indecisiveness or the Colts receivers not getting open will only show up on the tape.

Leonard struggled to find any sort of rhythm throughout the second half.

Leonard and Richardson are competing for the backup role. On a few occasions coming into this game, Shane Steichen mentioned that it was a close competition. One outing won’t drastically swing the pendulum one way or the other, but Richardson did have the better performance in New England.

Next week, when the Colts take on the Falcons, Leonard will get the start.

This article originally appeared on Colts Wire: Recapping Riley Leonard’s performance in Colts vs. Patriots game