Colts vs. Panthers Preseason Week 1: Live Thread
The Game is Complete: The Colts won by a score of 21-18. They had 427 yards on 75 plays, and the Panthers had 315 yards on 53 plays.
The Colts' leading passer was quarterback Jacob Eason with 183 yards on 15-of-21 passing (71.4%), the leading rusher was quarterback Sam Ehlinger with 30 yards on 8 carries (3.8 avg.), the leading receiver was wide receiver Tarik Black with 67 yards on 3 receptions (22.3 avg.), and the leading tackler was defensive lineman Isaac Rochell with 5 tackles.
(0:07, Fourth Quarter) With remaining in the game, Colts kicker Eddy Pineiro converted a 30-yard field goal to break the tied game and put the Colts ahead, 21-18. The Colts' drive covered 16 plays, 61 yards, 6:02.
(6:22, Fourth Quarter) Following three consecutive false starts by the Panthers' offense, punter Joseph Charlton punts the ball to the Colts' Isaiah Rodgers at the Indianapolis 29-yard line. Rodgers returned the ball for -2 yards to the Indianapolis 27-yard line.
(7:43, Fourth Quarter) Colts running back Benny LeMay runs the ball in from one yard out and the score. Quarterback Sam Ehlinger then ran the ball up the middle for the two-point conversion to tie the game at 18 points apiece. The Colts' drive covered 6 plays, 75 yards, 2:06.
(8:00, Fourth Quarter) Colts quarterback Sam Ehlinger found wide receiver Tyler Vaughns for a 25-yard gain down to Carolina's 1-yard line. Vaughns made an excellent, one-handed grab between two defenders.
(9:06, Fourth Quarter) Colts quarterback Sam Ehlinger lofted a deep ball down the right, center of the field and found wide receiver Tarik Black for 47 yards. The ball is now at Carolina's 31-yard line.
(9:49, Fourth Quarter) Panthers kicker Joey Slye converts a 29-yard field goal attempt, his fourth field goal of the day. The Panthers' lead is now extended, 18-10. The Panthers' drive covered 8 plays, 30 yards, 3:43.
(11:21, Fourth Quarter) Panthers quarterback Will Grier found tight end Giovanni Ricci on a 14-yard gain down the left side. Colts cornerback Holton Hill popped the ball loose, and after the ball bounced around for a while, it was recovered by Colts linebacker Curtis Bolton. However, the officiating crew ruled that the ball had gone out of bounds before the Colts recovered. Colts head coach Frank Reich challenged the call and after review, the call was upheld, much to the dismay of the crowd.
(14:28, Fourth Quarter) Colts defensive tackle Joey Ivie sacks Panthers quarterback Will Grier on 3rd-and-4 for a two-yard loss. On the ensuing punt, the Colts' Isaiah Rodgers muffed the punt, which was recovered by the Panthers' Krishawn Hogan. Carolina now takes back over at Indianapolis' 44-yard line.
(0:05, Third Quarter) Colts punter Rigoberto Sanchez punts the ball to the Panthers' C.J. Saunders, who calls for the fair catch, at the Carolina 10-yard line.
(4:44, Third Quarter) Colts linebacker Isaiah Kaufusi tackles Panthers running back Spencer Brown for a two-yard loss on 4th-and-2. The Colts take over at their own 22-yard line.
(9:42, Third Quarter) Colts quarterback Sam Ehlinger is intercepted along the right side on a short pass intended for tight end Kylen Granson. The Panthers take over on their own 46-yard line.
(13:25, Third Quarter) Colts rookie quarterback Sam Ehlinger is in at quarterback for the Colts after Jacob Eason played the entire first half.
(13:25, Third Quarter) Panthers punter Joseph Charlton punts the ball to the Colts' Isaiah Rodgers at the Indianapolis 8-yard line. Rodgers returned the ball for 14 yards to the Indianapolis 22-yard line.
At Halftime: The score is 15-10, Panthers. The Colts have 194 yards on 39 plays, and the Panthers have 241 yards on 28 plays.
The Colts' leading passer is quarterback Jacob Eason with 183 yards on 15-of-21 passing (71.4%), the leading rusher is running back Jordan Wilkins with 25 yards and 1 touchdown on 10 carries, the leading receiver is wide receiver Mike Strachan with 57 yards on 3 receptions, and the leading tackler is safety Ibraheim Campbell with 4 tackles.
(0:00) Panthers kicker Joey Slye missed a 63-yard field goal attempt, wide left, which would've been tied for the second-longest field goal in NFL history. It did have enough leg. The Panthers' drive covered 7 plays, 30 yards, 0:42.
(0:42, Second Quarter) Colts running back Jordan Wilkins runs it into the end zone from three yards out and the touchdown. Kicker Eddy Pineiro's extra point was good to make the score 15-10, Panthers. The Colts' drive covered 6 plays, 75 yards, 1:14.
(1:48, Second Quarter) Colts quarterback Jacob Eason finds wide receiver Mike Strachan 32 yards down the left side. Strachan leaped and high-pointed the ball. The ball is now at Carolina's 43-yard line.
(1:56, Second Quarter) Panthers quarterback P.J. Walker rolls out to his right and finds tight end Tommy Tremble in the back of the end zone for the 7-yard touchdown. After a 10-yard holding penalty on a two-point attempt, the Panthers' extra point attempt was no good, wide right. The Panthers' drive covered 5 plays, 91 yards, 3:16.
(2:20, Second Quarter) Panther quarterback P.J. Walker finds wide receiver Shi Smith 26 yards down the right sideline to the Colts' 7-yard line.
(3:41, Second Quarter) Panthers running back Chuba Hubbard escaped from a group tackle attempt and scampered 59 yards downfield to the Colts' 23-yard line.
(5:12, Second Quarter) Colts punter Rigoberto Sanchez punts the ball to the Panthers' 9-yard line. The Colts' drive covered 5 plays, 25 yards, 2:55.
(7:18, Second Quarter) Colts quarterback Jacob Eason found wide receiver Dezmon Patmon on a crossing route near the left sideline 26 yards downfield. The ball is now at the Colts' 45-yard line.
(8:07, Second Quarter) Panthers kicker Joey Slye connects on a 41-yard field goal to extend Carolina's lead to 9-3. The ball hit the tip-top of the right upright, making it a controversial call. The Panther's drive covered 5 plays, 24 yards, 1:25.
(9:32, Second Quarter). Colts quarterback Jacob Eason is sacked by Panthers linebacker Frankie Luvu for a loss of 13 yards on 4th-and-1. The Panthers take over at Indianapolis' 47-yard line. The Colts' drive covered 10 plays, 22 yards, 5:15.
(14:47, Second Quarter) Panthers kicker Joey Slye hits a 28-yard field goal to put the Panthers ahead, 6-3. The Panthers' drive covered 4 plays, 4 yards, 0:17.
At the end of Quarter 1: The score is tied, 3-3. The Colts have 76 yards on 18 plays, and the Panthers have 101 yards on 11 plays.
(0:04, First Quarter), Colts quarterback Jacob Eason is sacked by Panthers defensive end Marquis Haynes, and fumbles. Haynes recovered the ball at Indianapolis' 14-yard line.
(0:48, First Quarter) Panthers punter Joseph Charlton punts the ball to the Colts' Isaiah Rodgers at Indianapolis' 25-yard line. The Panthers' drive covered 3 plays, 1 yard, 2:02
(2:50, First Quarter) Colts kicker Rodrigo Blankenship tied the game with a 34-yard field goal. The score is now 3-3. The Colts' drive covered 9 plays, 59 yards, 3:25.
(4:40, First Quarter) Colts quarterback Jacob Eason found wide receiver Parris Campbell deep down the left side for 37 yards.
(6:15, First Quarter) The Panthers get on the board first as kicker Joey Slye hits a 29-yard field goal to put Carolina up, 3-0. The drive took 8 plays, 81 yards, 4:47 seconds.
(7:06, First Quarter) Colts cornerback T.J. Carrie was down after the play and was looked at by trainers. He exited the field under his own power. This was later announced to be a knee, which will keep him out the rest of the game.
(11:10, First Quarter) Colts punter Rigoberto Sanchez punts the ball to the Panthers' David Moore at Carolina's 8-yard line. The Colts' drive covered 8 plays, 28 yards, 3:58
(15:00, First Quarter) With the Colts' offense hitting the field first, the starting offensive line was Julién Davenport (LT), Chris Reed (LG), Joey Hunt (C), Will Fries (RG), and Sam Tevi (RT). The Colts are resting many of their starters, but left tackle Eric Fisher is currently on the Physically Unable to Perform list recovering from an Achilles injury, and left guard Quenton Nelson (foot) and center Ryan Kelly (elbow) are dealing with injuries.
(12:25pm) Sunday is the NFL debut for Colts quarterbacks Jacob Eason and Sam Ehlinger. The two players are locked in a battle to be the team's starting quarterback until Carson Wentz returns and have been splitting first-team reps recently during training camp. Per head coach Frank Reich earlier this week, Eason will start against the Panthers and play about a quarter and a half before being replaced by Ehlinger. The roles will be reversed in Preseason Week 2 against the Minnesota Vikings.
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(11:58am) The Colts announced that defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus will not be available to coach on Sunday against the Panthers for COVID-19 related reasons. Safeties coach Alan Williams will handle Eberflus' duties.
The Indianapolis Colts host the Carolina Panthers on Sunday at 1:00pm ET at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
Whether or not you're able to follow the game, you can stay here with us on this page as we give live updates from the stadium.
You can catch the game on television locally on FOX 59 (Play-by-Play: Greg Rakestraw, Color: Rick Venturi, Sideline: Larra Overton) as well as nationally on NFL Network.
On the radio, you can find the game on WFNI and WLHK (Play-by-Play: Matt Taylor, Color: Joe Reitz, Sideline: Jeffrey Gorman).
The Colts hosted the Panthers at Grand Park Sports Campus for two days of joint training camp practices on Thursday and Friday in a spirited couple of days.
Need to catch up on how the joint practices went between these two teams? We've got you covered below:
- Day 13: Eason/Ehlinger Impress vs. Panthers, Defense Sets Tone
- Day 14: Tempers Flare, Ehlinger Excels Under Pressure
Additionally, here is what our Andrew Moore is watching for during Sunday's game.
Have thoughts on this game? Drop them below in the comment section!
