Insider: How the Colts beat the Bears 24-17 behind Minshew, Ehlinger in preseason game
INDIANAPOLIS — Two days of joint practices convinced coaches for the Colts and the Bears to hold out most of their starters in Saturday night’s preseason game.
Rookie Indianapolis quarterback Anthony Richardson did not play. Neither did young Chicago passer Justin Fields, or many of the big names on both sides of the ball.
The game ended up being a battle for depth spots instead, a battle Indianapolis ended up winning 24-17 in Lucas Oil Stadium’s only preseason game in 2023.
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No spark from Colts running backs
The Colts haven’t had their top two backs for most of training camp.
The team’s star runner, Jonathan Taylor, has spent the entire training camp on the active/physically unable to perform list and locked in an ugly contract dispute with the Colts. Backup Zack Moss broke his arm early in training camp and isn’t expected to be fully healthy again until the start of the regular season.
The backs vying for playing time in their absence didn’t make much of an impact on Saturday night.
Third-year running back Deon Jackson picked up just eight yards on three carries, rookie Evan Hull had 13 yards on four carries and veteran Kenyan Drake produced five yards on three carries.
Indianapolis is expected to unveil a creative, dynamic running game behind Richardson as the starting quarterback, but without Taylor or Moss, the backs on the Indianapolis roster right now have made more of an impact as receivers than runners.
Jackson, who caught 30 passes last season, had two catches for 15 yards versus Chicago, and Hull, who carried a reputation as a pass-catching back coming out of Northwestern, had one catch for a loss of yard.
Gardner Minshew, Sam Ehlinger make plays
The Indianapolis decision to hold out Richardson ended up being the story of the night.
In Richardson’s absence, backup quarterbacks Gardner Minshew and Sam Ehlinger both had solid impressions.
If given time, Minshew can complete a lot of passes, particularly against a defense content to give up short completions in lieu of giving up the big play.
A defense like Chicago’s.
Working with the Colts’ second-team offense, Minshew was unable to overcome penalties on the first two drives of the game, then got into a rhythm on the third, completing 7 of 8 throws on a 12-play, 74-yard drive the veteran finished off by rolling around behind good protection from the offensive line and firing a 4-yard strike to Juwann Winfree for a touchdown.
Ehlinger, who has been the team’s third-string quarterback throughout training camp, was hit hard early in his relief of Minshew, but as the second half wore on, the third-year passer started to find a rhythm.
Fighting for a chance to be the Colts’ No. 3 quarterback — new NFL rules allow a team to get an extra player active on Sundays if it’s the team’s third quarterback — Ehlinger completed 9 of 14 passes for 124 yards, rushed seven times for 55 yards and a 5-yard touchdown, then directed a seven-play, 67-yard drive that Jake Funk finished off with a touchdown and 2-point conversion to put Indianapolis ahead.
Newcomer makes a splash at wide receiver
Indianapolis has brought in a steady stream of veterans this offseason to compete for the last roster spot at wide receiver, a spot that became more complicated earlier this week when Ashton Dulin tore his ACL, presumably opening a position on the roster.
Few of those receivers have flashed above the others in training camp, although Winfree, a former Packer, had four catches for 24 yards and a touchdown.
But the latest wide receiver to sign in Indianapolis, former Steeler James Washington, made a quick early splash in the fourth quarter against Chicago. Washington, who’s one of the most accomplished veterans of a group that includes Winfree, Breshad Perriman, Vyncint Smith and Amari Rodgers, was signed only Friday, but he got free down the left sideline late and hauled in a 42-yard pass from Ehlinger.
Under Shane Steichen, the Colts are likely going to value receivers who can make splash plays down the field, and Washington’s instant impact is the kind of play that hasn’t been made often by the others in training camp.
Washington, a 27-year-old who was a second-round pick by the Steelers in 2018, had 114 catches for 1,629 yards and 11 touchdowns in four seasons in Pittsburgh, then suffered a season-ending broken foot in training camp with Dallas last season.
Big plays from backup defenders
Free safety Trevor Denbow and linebacker Grant Stuard are both more likely to make their impact this season on special teams, at least initially.
But the pair of reserves also showed early in Saturday night’s game that they’ve got something to offer on defense.
Denbow, who started at strong safety, broke up a pass in man-to-man coverage early, then flew into the backfield on a blitz to sack Bears backup P.J. Walker.
Stuard, who has been all over the field in training camp, made six tackles, and he added another sack when he chased down a scrambling Walker at the line of scrimmage to force a punt.
Both players were already likely picks to make the roster because of their ability on special teams.
But a few big plays on defense isn’t going to hurt, either.