Sam Ehlinger Dazzles in NFL Debut
Sam Ehlinger led the Indianapolis Colts on a game-winning drive in the first preseason action of his NFL career, leading his team to a 21-18 victory over the Carolina Panthers Sunday afternoon.
Shaking off an early interception, the rookie Texas-ex not only led the game-winning drive, but also the game-tying drive in a wild fourth quarter. With the score tied at 18, the Colts got the ball back with about five minutes left and Ehlinger went to work, showing the composure and efficiency Longhorns fans became accustomed to during his career in Austin.
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Ehlinger had two big scrambles to help move the ball into Panthers' territory, and then positioned the Colts for an Eddy Piniero game-winning field goal with 15 seconds remaining.
Earlier in the fourth, Ehlinger led the Colts on a scoring drive in which he showed off his arm strength and accuracy. He connected with a former Texas teammate, Tariq Black, on a 47-yard pass down the middle to put the Colts in Panthers' territory. A few plays later, Ehlinger was pin-point in tossing a 25-yard pass to Tyler Vaughns, who made the catch with one hand to the Panthers 1-yard line. After Benny LeMay's touchdown run, Ehlinger tied the game with a run for the two-point conversion.
The Colts trailed 18-10 in the fourth before Ehlinger led the rally.
After a shaky start, he ended up throwing for 155 yards on 10-of-15 passing, along with eight rushes for 30 yards, with his two late scrambles being key to the victory.
“He wants the tough pass, he wants the big play, and you have to be very disciplined against him,” Colts cornerback Kenny Moore said about Ehlinger during an in-game interview on NFL Network.
The Colts selected Ehlinger in the sixth round of the NFL Draft in April. With the injury to presumed starter Carson Wentz, Ehlinger and Jacob Eason are locked in a battle to be not only Wentz’s primary backup, but potentially a starter in the Colts’ Week 1 regular-season opener against the Seattle Seahawks.
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Colts owner Jim Irsay told WISH TV on Friday that there’s no set timetable for Wentz’s return from an injured foot. Wentz was seen at practice this week without a walking boot, and head coach Frank Reich said Wentz was doing “exceedingly well.”
Amid that backdrop, Ehlinger had to wait until the second half to make his preseason debut, as Eason started.
In the third quarter, Ehlinger leaned early on a former high school teammate, Kylen Granson, a fellow rookie who played college football at SMU and played with Ehlinger’s former UT teammate, Shane Buechele. Granson caught one of Ehlinger’ first pass attempts of the game.
Ehlinger threw an interception on his second series of the game, his only real blemish on the afternoon.
Eason, the former Georgia and Washington product, had an efficient afternoon, going 15-of-20 passing for 161 yards. He did lose a fumble on a strip-sack, but he did lead the Colts to their only first-half touchdown in a two-minute drill at the end of the first half.
The Colts have two preseason games remaining — next Saturday at Minnesota and Aug. 27 at Detroit.
You can find Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard.