The Ehlinger Experiment: Colts’ QB Shows Promise in Loss vs. Commanders
The Indianapolis Colts made a shocking move a week ago when they underwent a change at the quarterback position.
Out was Matt Ryan, the 15-year, former NFL MVP who struggled in seven games to start the year. In was Sam Ehlinger, a sixth-round pick out of Texas in 2021 who had yet to make his first career NFL start. That time would come this past weekend as the Colts took on the Washington Commanders.
Unfortunately, the Colts could not get the victory in Ehlinger’s first career start, falling to the Commanders 17-16. It was not for lack of trying on Ehlinger’s part, as the young quarterback went 17-of-23 (74%) for 201 yards, no touchdowns, no interceptions, and a QB rating of 100.1.
“I thought as an offense, we had a lot of opportunities,” Ehlinger said after the game. “We just shot ourselves in the foot. We got down on the other side of the 50 multiple times and didn't come away with points. Two turnovers. Got down to the inch yard line and came away with three points, and that's not good enough in this league. Had some penalties we've got to clean up. So, it's frustrating, but we showed that we can be an explosive offense. We had explosive plays, and we just have to keep building from here.”
With Ryan going to the bench, so does the “Ryan Review” series. Replacing it is a new film review series called “The Ehlinger Experiment” – credit my father for the name – here on Horseshoe Huddle as we dissect Ehlinger’s performance each week through the rest of the 2022 season. While the young quarterback showed promise in his first start, there are still areas where he must grow if he hopes to be a consistent starter in the NFL.
Pocket Awareness
One thing that stands out about Ehlinger’s game is his pocket awareness. The young quarterback displays great instincts regarding when the pass rush is getting to him and uses his athleticism to extend the play.
Our first clip shows various moments throughout the game Sunday where Ehlinger was able to escape a collapsing pocket and make a play. He kept his eyes downfield when the pocket collapsed and continued to look for open receivers. This part of his game shows maturity for a young quarterback.
While Ryan is a different quarterback than Ehlinger, it is not far-fetched to think that those plays would have ended in sacks if #2 was in the game. Part of the reason Ehlinger was given a chance to start was because of his mobility and being able to make a play when things break down. This was a good start.
Accuracy
Another quality of Ehlinger’s that jumped off the film right away was his accuracy. He was able to place the ball wherever it needed to be so his receivers could make a play on the ball. Accuracy can sometimes be a challenge for young quarterbacks, but Ehlinger looked sharp in this regard.
This next clip shows what I mean regarding his accuracy. The first throw is to running back Nyheim Hines, who was traded to the Buffalo Bills on Tuesday afternoon. The coverage is tight, but Ehlinger puts the ball outside where only Hines can grab it.
The second throw is across the middle to a wide-open Michael Pittman Jr., who, if he secures it, can turn upfield and get another five to ten yards. The play would have gotten the Colts close to field goal range to possibly win the game. But Pittman makes a rare drop, killing what would have been a great play in the clutch.
Ehlinger also displayed great touch and accuracy when throwing the deep ball. He had some throws deep that he would like to have back, but it is hard to beat these next two dimes. The first is a beautiful ball that equates to a 45-yard handoff to wide receiver Alec Pierce down the right side. The second throw sees Ehlinger dropping the ball over the shoulder and into the bucket to Hines for a big gain.
The accuracy displayed by Ehlinger was quite impressive. Not every throw was perfect, but he showed great ball placement throughout the game, another step in the right direction for the young quarterback.
Rollouts
A change in the offense that we expected to see with Ehlinger under center was the use of bootlegs and rollouts. The Colts want to use Ehlinger’s mobility to their advantage, and getting him outside the pocket gives them a chance to show different looks and make plays. Head coach Frank Reich did not call as many rollouts and bootlegs as was originally thought, but Ehlinger had some success with them.
The first rollout was on Ehlinger’s first pass attempt of the game. A play-action fake to Jonathan Taylor gets most of the defense to go left as Ehlinger rolls right. He connects with Pittman for a nice gain, and Ehlinger can start to build his confidence.
The next rollout came on the very next play as Ehlinger executes the RPO. Normally, he would hit Taylor in the flat quickly and let him pick up yardage. But the Commanders’ defensive back does a great job of diagnosing the play, moving around the Pittman pick, and picking up Taylor in coverage. Ehlinger tries to scramble and make something out of nothing and even gets the ball out to Taylor before it is dropped.
While the Colts did not have game-breaking success with rollouts, it would still be beneficial to make this a more prevalent part of the game plan. Ehlinger can be dangerous when on the move, and the Colts should use that to their advantage.
Work in Progress
While there were many aspects of Ehlinger’s game on Sunday where he shined, there are plenty of areas where he can still improve. Ehlinger lost a fumble as the Colts were driving, adding to the team’s ball security issues. He also did not put the ball in the end zone on the day, and the Colts only scored 16 points. More production will be needed if he hopes to secure the quarterback spot.
When looking at the film, Ehlinger did have some issues reading coverages. The first clip shows a Cover-2 defense, meaning the cornerbacks will cover zones in the flats, and the two deep safeties are each responsible for covering a half of the field. Cover-2 leaves the middle seams vulnerable, as we see Pierce take advantage in the middle of the bunch formation at the top by streaking down the field. However, Ehlinger does not see this as he is focused to the left before coming back to the right and forcing a throw to Pittman. The throw is late and almost ends up as an interception.
The next clip shows how Ehlinger made things a little harder than they needed to be. While he completes the pass out wide to Pierce, Ehlinger also has tight end Jelani Woods coming across the middle right in front of him for what would have been a similar gain. Playing in the NFL is hard enough, so you do not want to make things harder than they have to be.
The last clip is typical of a young quarterback. Ehlinger locks into his first read and fires a ball to Pittman as the wide receiver takes a big hit. Former Colts quarterback and Hall of Famer Peyton Manning calls this a “hospital pass” because of the type of hit the receiver takes. Ehlinger should have gone to tight end Kylen Granson in the slot right on the flag route or to wide receiver Parris Campbell who is streaking open down the left seam.
No quarterback is perfect, and every player has things they need to work on. Ehlinger is a smart kid who should be able to clean these things up with more reps and film study.
Final Analysis
Ehlinger played pretty well in his first NFL start considering he was a sixth-round pick that had never thrown a regular season pass before Sunday. He showed great pocket awareness and was accurate with the football. One of the biggest questions coming into the game was if he could handle throwing the deep ball, and he answered with two beautiful throws down the field.
But just like every young quarterback, there are still areas he needs to clean up. He could use some work on his mechanics and decision-making, as he made things harder than they needed to be at times. Ehlinger will also need to work on diagnosing coverages both pre- and post-snap, but that should come with more live reps. Overall, it was a solid outing for Ehlinger.
However, things will not get easier this week as the Colts travel to Foxborough to take on the New England Patriots. Patriots head coach Bill Belichick is notorious for giving young quarterbacks fits with his defensive disguises. Ehlinger will need to take things up a notch if he hopes to stand a chance against one of the greatest defensive minds football has ever seen.
Follow Andrew on Twitter @AndrewMooreNFL.
