Sam Ehlinger is hoping to do something rare in his first Colts start

Sam Ehlinger is making his first start for the Colts on Sunday and he is setting out to do something that hasn’t been done in a long time.

On Monday, Frank Reich shocked everyone with the announcement that veteran quarterback, Matt Ryan, would be benched and second-year quarterback, Sam Ehlinger, would be starting for the rest of the season. This came as a surprise to the NFL world because the Colts had just traded for Ryan this offseason, and although he hasn’t been playing the best, not many would’ve guessed he’d be benched before Indy’s eighth game. However, he was, and Sam Ehlinger’s got the juice now.

Ehlinger hasn’t started nor thrown a pass in an NFL game but he did serve as Carson Wentz’s backup last season and wowed fans with his impressive preseason performance. During the preseason this year, Ehlinger was arguably the best quarterback in the league. However, he was doing most of his work against third and fourth-string guys who may not even be on NFL rosters right now. The real test for Sam will be on Sunday when he lines up against the Washington Commanders.

In that game, Ehlinger will try and do something that a Colts quarterback hasn’t done in a very long time: win his debut start. The last Indianapolis quarterback to win his first start was Chris Chandler in 1988. Dating back to 1966, Colts’ quarterbacks are 1-15 in their first career start.

Sam Ehlinger will try to break a Colts’ trend

Ehlinger and Indianapolis are going against a struggling 3-4 Washington Commanders team but Indy has also struggled this season, so there’s no expectation that this game should be easy. The Colts haven’t played an easy game all year. This matchup will especially be tough because Indy’s biggest weakness will be challenged by Washington’s biggest strength. That matchup is Indy’s offensive line vs. the Commanders’ defensive line.

The Colts have struggled to block all year and that’s why Matt Ryan was often on the ground. If the line can’t clean things up this week, or if Frank Reich can’t develop a game plan that negates the pass rush, Ehlinger will also be on the ground a lot or running for his life. But, if Indianapolis can somehow contain Washington’s defensive line, Ehlinger could be the first Colts’ QB to win his first start since 1988.

Ryan Kelly clearly wasn’t happy with the Colts’ quarterback change

The Indianapolis Colts decided to bench Matt Ryan and it’s becoming clear that not everyone on the team is a fan of that decision.