With Carson Wentz’s foot injury still the biggest question mark of training camp, the Indianapolis Colts gave the keys to their two young quarterbacks in the preseason opener against the Carolina Panthers on Sunday.
Second-year Jacob Eason got the start and showed that he has a lot of potential in this league. Sam Ehlinger came in for the second half, and struggled but still showed promise.
Here is the good, the bad, and the ugly from the Colts’ preseason quarterback competition from the opener on Sunday
Jacob Eason
The Good
The second-year man out of Washington had a promising start under center. Eason played the entire first half and finished 15 for 21 with 183 yards passing. His accuracy, especially down the field, was the most impressive part of his debut.
What stood out was the two-minute drill Eason led down the field for a score right before halftime. It started with a deep ball to Mike Strachan that really got things going for the final drive of the first half. His pocket presence and ability to bounce back after a sack were also bright spots during this time.
The Bad
While pocket presence was positive, Eason has to learn to be more aware and poised while dropping back. There were multiple times where he had time to throw and rushed a short pass. On the flip-side, there were many times Eason held onto the ball too long and took a sack, one of those being a fumble inside the Colts’ 20-yard line. Knowing when to get rid of the football is an important lesson for any quarterback.
The Ugly
The fumble Eason lost was largely due to his protection falling apart, but all the blame can’t go towards the offensive line. Rather than stepping up in the pocket, he sat back and waited for the defense. If he wants to have a shot at the starting job, that is something that needs to be fixed.
Sam Ehlinger
The Good
Ehlinger showed a lot of poise in the pocket and responded well when facing pressure. He has very good accuracy and completed a few well-placed crossing routes. He had a couple of completions down the field, but that was mostly due to spectacular catches by Tarik Black and Tyler Vaughns. He also showed his running ability for a handful of first downs and a two-point conversion, showing his ability to move outside the pocket as well.
The final drive that lasted just over six minutes was also impressive. Ehlinger made the right decisions and drove the team down the field to ultimately win the game off an Eddy Pineiro field goal. He turned a rocky start into a solid outing overall.
The Bad
Other than the 47-yard completion to Black, Ehlinger largely struggled to push the ball down the field. He completed 66% of his passes with one interception. He seemed skittish at times and lacked confidence against the Panthers’ third-string defenders in the third quarter. It was clear that Ehlinger still has a lot to learn to be a starting quarterback in this league, but he learned a lot in his first taste of action.
The Ugly
Ehlinger’s third-quarter pick was thrown directly into coverage, not to mention he had great protection and a lot of time to throw. Throws like that are common among rookie quarterbacks, and things like that should get ironed out in the coming weeks. It looks like Ehlinger is still a ways away from his regular-season debut.
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