Colts Bench QB Matt Ryan vs. Commanders; Who Starts?

The Indianapolis Colts have benched Matt Ryan after a shoulder strain and poor performances. Who will take over Sunday against the Washington Commanders?

Jeremy Brener | Oct 24, 2022

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The Washington Commanders are looking to win their third straight game next week against the Indianapolis Colts, but in order to do so, they'll have to face a quarterback they haven't seen before.

Colts head coach Frank Reich announced Monday in a press conference that the team will start Sam Ehlinger against the Commanders.

Ehlinger, 24, was a sixth-round draft pick made by the Colts in 2021 after starting at the University of Texas from 2017-20.

Ironically enough, this game was originally supposed to be the "Carson Wentz" revenge game after the Colts traded their former quarterback to the Commanders this offseason for a pair of third-round picks.

However, with Wentz's finger injury and Matt Ryan's sprained shoulder, it will now turn into a battle of backup quarterbacks.

The Colts are expected to move towards Ehlinger for the rest of the season in hopes to fully evaluate him before pondering over drafting any of the top quarterback prospects in this year's upcoming draft.

In Ehlinger's first career start, he'll face a fellow backup quarterback thrust into the spotlight, Taylor Heinicke.

Heinicke, who started Sunday's win against the Green Bay Packers, will be under center for the second straight game in hopes of turning around the Commanders' season.

The Commanders and Colts play Sunday at 4:25 p.m. at Lucas Oil Stadium.

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Published Oct 24, 2022

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.