Colts thumbs up, down: T.J. Green, Turbin, OTs

• Preseason finale: Colts at Bengals, 7:30 p.m. Thursday

INDIANAPOLIS – Here’s the best and worst of the Indianapolis Colts’ 33-23 preseason loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on Saturday night:

THUMBS UP

>> S T.J. Green: He hasn’t been asked to make a ton of plays in coverage – and that’s likely to change the more he plays – but the Colts’ second-round draft pick is making more of an impact on defense than some of his more veteran counterparts. The questions about Green in coverage remain, but he is a force when supporting the running game or making plays in the open field. He did miss a tackle on Saturday, and he doesn’t get a pass for that (though he was hardly the only one). But Green compensated by making several other sure-handed tackles to finish with a team-high five (four solo).

Green continues to provide something the Colts lack: A dynamic defensive playmaker. With the age of the unit continuing to be an issue, Green is one of the players the Colts hope will  make the unit younger and more athletic. His 4.3-second 40-yard dash speed is evident.

If Green continues to grow, the questions about his selection in the second round will subside quickly.

Beat-up Colts get welcome news on Mewhort injury

>> RB Robert Turbin: Turbin made the play of the game – even if it didn’t count. Turbin took a handoff, made a defender miss in the backfield, then literally ran away from the rest of the defense on his way to what seemed like an 81-yard touchdown. The play was nullified when receiver Phillip Dorsett was called for holding cornerback Nolan Carroll. Without the hold, Carroll might have impeded Turbin enough to prevent the touchdown, so the call was the right one. But Turbin showed explosion on the play that we hadn’t often seen from him in this preseason. For that matter, we hadn’t seen much explosion from the running backs as a group prior to Turbin’s run.

Turbin averaged 6 yards per carry on his four attempts that did count, with a long of 12. Things got complicated Sunday, when the Colts signed veteran running back Stevan Ridley. But Turbin seems a likely bet to make the final roster. The addition of Ridley probably affects  Josh Ferguson and Jordan Todman most.

THUMBS DOWN

>> RT Le’Raven Clark: The Colts’ third-round pick has remained something of a mystery throughout the preseason, limited to playing against backup talent. It has long become clear he would not be a factor for the Colts this season unless something went awry. But the Colts gave him the start at right tackle in place of veteran Joe Reitz (sore back).

It didn’t go well. Clark was exposed worse than anyone could have predicted. Yes, he has incomparable size and athleticism. And those are the qualities that led the Colts to draft him so high. But Clark needs a redshirt year, at minimum. If he plays for any length of time, it’s quite possible he’ll get Andrew Luck hurt.

Coach Chuck Pagano, ever the optimist, was relatively honest about the performance of his rookie.

“He found out what the National Football League is all about,” Pagano said. “The kid is a tough kid. He cares. He’s smart. He’s a battler. It’s not too big for him. But the speed of the game is a little bit different.”

One of the chief hurdles Clark faces is the adjustment to pro-style offense. In college, he played in a Texas Tech scheme that rarely required him to line up in a three-point stance. That dramatically changes how a player engages opponents at the line of scrimmage.

>> LT Anthony Castonzo: First, some context. Castonzo was battling a sore knee in 2015, when he struggled more than at any time since his rookie season in 2011. But the former first-round pick came into this season in great physical shape.

Considering that, it’s hard to put his performance into perspective. But, whatever the reason, Castonzo is not getting it done. And the Colts already have too many issues on their hands to now have to worry about their mainstay left tackle.

Castonzo holds himself to a higher standard than just about any player on the team. But maybe that’s the problem. Pagano suggests Castonzo's letting bad snaps fester. That leads to a predictable result.

“He is very critical of himself,” Pagano said. “When there is a bad play, one thing we talk to these guys about is you’ve got to be able to … put it behind you and you can’t dwell on it because it will lead to two or three other poor plays.”

Follow Colts Insider Stephen Holder on Twitter and Facebook.

Preseason finale: Colts at Bengals, 7:30 p.m. Thursday