Sam Ehlinger, Colts Beat Panthers in Preseason Clash Behind Eddy Pineiro's Late FG

The Indianapolis Colts got their preseason off to a winning start Sunday with a 21-18 win over the Carolina Panthers at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

Rookie quarterback Sam Ehlinger led the Colts back from an eight-point deficit in the fourth quarter, and Indy broke the tie on a 30-yard field goal by Eddy Pineiro with seven seconds remaining to secure the win.

With starting quarterback Sam Darnold sitting for the Panthers, former XFL standout P.J. Walker got the start under center and played a central role in rookie wide receiver Terrace Marshall Jr., running back Chuba Hubbard and tight end Tommy Tremble performing well.

On the other side, Colts starting quarterback Carson Wentz missed Sunday's game with a foot injury, leaving second-year man Jacob Eason and Ehlinger to split the playing time.

Since Wentz could potentially miss the start of the regular season, Sunday marked a huge opportunity for both Eason and Ehlinger to establish themselves as the first man up behind Wentz.

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Notable Stats

Jacob Eason, QB, IND: 15-of-21 for 183 YDS, 0 TD, 0 INT

P.J. Walker, QB, CAR: 10-of-21 for 161 YDS, 1 TD, 0 INT

Sam Ehlinger, QB, IND: 10-of-15 for 155 YDS, 0 TD, 1 INT; 8 CAR for 30 YDS

Chuba Hubbard, RB, CAR: 7 CAR for 80 YDS; 1 REC for 2 YDS

Jordan Wilkins, RB, IND: 10 CAR for 25 YDS, 1 TD; 1 REC for 6 YDS

Terrace Marshall Jr., WR, CAR: 3 REC for 88 YDS

Tarik Black, WR, IND: 3 REC for 67 YDS

Tommy Tremble, TE, CAR: 3 REC for 19 YDS, 1 TD

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Panthers Offensive Rookies Show Out in Indy

Most of the Panthers' top offensive weapons were not dressed for Sunday's game, including Darnold, running back Christian McCaffrey and wide receivers DJ Moore and Robby Anderson.

That opened the door for three highly touted draft picks to see significant game action, especially in the first half.

Second-round pick Terrace Marshall Jr., third-round pick Tommy Tremble and fourth-round pick Chuba Hubbard were the story for Carolina along with the solid play of head coach Matt Rhule's backup quarterback in Walker.

Marshall was perhaps the best among them Sunday, as the former LSU standout made some huge plays in the passing game. That included a 60-yard catch-and-run in the first quarter:

After watching Marshall come up with some huge plays, NFL Network's Michael F. Florio shared his high expectations for the rookie in 2021:

Nathan Jahnke of Pro Football Focus also broke down Marshall's performance, noting that the Panthers line him up all over the field:

In the wake of Curtis Samuel signing with the Washington Football Team in free agency, the No. 3 receiver spot is wide-open behind Moore and Anderson, and all signs point toward Marshall seizing it.

Hubbard, who starred collegiately at Oklahoma State, was bottled up for most of the first half due largely to poor blocking from the offensive line.

Although he didn't get much help up front, Hubbard took matters into his own hands late in the first half by bouncing a 3rd-and-1 run outside and picking up a 59-yard gain:

That set the stage for Carolina's first touchdown, which was a seven-yard scoring strike from Walker to Tremble:

Given the Panthers' lack of production at tight end since the departure of Greg Olsen, Tremble has a chance to play a big role in 2021, and the Notre Dame alum showed off his red-zone skills Sunday.

Carolina went all in on defense in the 2020 NFL draft, and several of the Panthers' selections made an instant impact as rookie.

Offense was a much bigger focus in the 2021 draft, and based on what Marshall, Hubbard and Tremble managed to do Sunday, they all have a chance to have major roles during their rookie campaigns as well.

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Eason, Ehlinger Show Flashes with Wentz Out

Both Eason and Ehlinger saw game action for the first time in their NFL careers Sunday, and they both provided reason for optimism provided Wentz isn't ready for the start of the season.

Eason, who was a 2020 fourth-round pick out of Washington, got the start and played the entire first half.

Since COVID-19 wiped out the preseason last year and Eason was stuck behind Philip Rivers and Jacoby Brissett on the depth chart during the regular season, Sunday represented his first opportunity to play against another NFL team.

It was far from a perfect performance for Eason, but the good outweighed the bad for the strong-armed 23-year-old.

Arguably his most impressive play of the day was a 37-yard strike that he placed perfectly over the shoulder of speedy wide receiver Parris Campbell late in the first quarter:

Eason also showed some zip on a 2nd-and-long connection with Dezmon Patmon in the second quarter:

With the Colts trailing 15-3, Eason took the field with less than two minutes remaining in the first half, and he did plenty to inspire confidence from head coach Frank Reich on that drive.

Eason drove the Colts 75 yards in just 1:14 and got the drive going with a completion over the top to rookie wideout Mike Strachan for 32 yards:

Running back Jordan Wilkins finished the drive off with a touchdown run, and Indianapolis entered the locker room trailing by only five points.

As good as Eason looked on that final drive, he struggled with his touch a few times, and he also lost a fumble on a strip-sack by Marquis Haynes, although poor blindside blocking played a role:

Despite some of the ups and downs, Zak Keefer and Stephen Holder of The Athletic agreed that it was a positive performance overall:

After sitting and watching Eason in the first half, Ehlinger got his chance to show what he could do in the third quarter.

Things got off to an inauspicious start for Ehlinger, as he was intercepted on his first series when Panthers safety Kenny Robinson jumped a route:

Both Holder and Dave Calabro of WTHR NBC blamed Ehlinger for the pick, as he was clearly late on the throw:

The Indy offense got very little going in the third quarter under Ehlinger, but the former University of Texas star came to life in the fourth.

With the Colts trailing 18-10, Ehlinger made back-to-back great throws. The first was a 47-yard deep ball to Tarik Black and the second was a 25-yard pass to Tyler Vaughns down to the 1-yard line:

Running back Benny LeMay punched the ball in from one yard out, and Ehlinger used his mobility to run it into the end zone on the two-point conversion to tie the game at 18-18.

Ehlinger then led the Colts on a game-winning drive in the closing minutes. Although Indy primarily moved the ball on the ground, Ehlinger moved the chains five times with his arm or legs on the drive.

While ESPN's Chris Mortensen reported that Wentz is trending toward being ready for Week 1 of the regular season, it is far from set in stone.

If Wentz isn't ready, Reich and Colts fans likely feel at least a bit more comfortable about their quarterback situation after watching Eason and Ehlinger on Sunday.

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What's Next?

The Panthers will return to action Saturday when they host the Baltimore Ravens in their second preseason game, while the Colts will travel to Minnesota to face the Vikings the same day.