Eason, Ehlinger combine to get preseason win for Colts
Jacob Eason was efficient in place of the injured Carson Wentz, and rookie Sam Ehlinger delivered in the final quarter for the Indianapolis Colts.
Ehlinger, a sixth-round pick out of Texas, began his NFL debut with an interception. But he regrouped and drove the Colts to a tying touchdown capped by his 2-point conversion run. Ehlinger then scrambled 11 and 9 yards to set up Eddy Pineiro’s 30-yard field goal in the final seconds, and the Colts beat the Carolina Panthers 21-18 in a preseason game Sunday.
Eason played the first half and finished 15 of 21 for 183 yards with a lost fumble as the Colts got a look at their backup quarterback options while Wentz recovers from foot surgery. Ehlinger handled the second half, completing 10 of 15 passes for 155 yards and the one pick.
“That’s the kind of thing you want to see from your quarterbacks, mental toughness, being able to handle the blitz and come back and play winning football,” Colts coach Frank Reich said. “I think both of them are probably going to grade out as playing winning football at the end of the day.”
Panthers starting quarterback Sam Darnold didn’t play, either, and the game was dominated by defensive reserves. Former Colts practice squad player P.J. Walker started for Carolina, going 10 of 21 for 161 yards and a touchdown.
“I felt like when I was here,” Walker said about his Colts stint from 2017 to 2019, “I didn’t have as much fun playing football.”
Ehlinger entered in the second half with the Colts trailing 15-10. Kenny Robinson provided a humbling introduction by intercepting Ehlinger’s fourth pass.
But after the Panthers widened their lead to 18-10, Ehlinger connected with Tarik Black for 47 yards, then hit Tyler Vaughns for a 25-yard gain to set up Benny LeMay’s 1-yard TD run. Ehlinger scrambled up the middle for the tying conversion.
On the next drive, Ehlinger scrambled to keep the Colts moving. An 11-yard run on third down got the Colts to the Panthers 17 at the 2-minute warning. Pineiro’s deciding kick with 7 seconds remaining capped a 16-play drive. RAIDERS 20, SEAHAWKS 7 » Thirdstring quarterback Nathan Peterman completed 29 of 38 pass attempts for 246 yards on Saturday night.
With starter Derek Carr predictably skipping the opener, and backup Marcus Mariota nursing a leg injury, Peterman looked solid while playing nearly the entire game. Peterman targeted 12 players and connected with 11. He also threw one interception.
DJ Turner had seven receptions, Keelan Doss hauled in six passes, and Zay Jones and Trey Ragas each had three. Ragas also rushed for 62 yards on 13 attempts.
The Raiders showed spunk in their four trips inside Seattle’s 20-yard-line, with two touchdowns and two field goals.
The Raiders were playing in front of a home crowd for the first time since relocating from Oakland.
BROWNS’ WILSON AWAITS MRI RESULTS » Mack Wilson’s shoulder injury could push Browns rookie linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah into the starting lineup sooner than expected. The team was awaiting MRI results on Wilson, a projected starter on Cleveland’s revamped defense after he injured his shoulder at Jacksonville.