Commanders' Prep vs. Colts Changes Slightly With Sam Ehlinger QB Change

The Washington Commanders will be the opponent for Indianapolis Colts' starter Sam Ehlinger's first career start. So how do you prepare against a quarterback nobody's played?

Jeremy Brener | Oct 27, 2022

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The Washington Commanders are preparing for a battle with the Indianapolis Colts on the road Sunday. But their preparation changed at the beginning of the week when the Colts announced that they would bench Matt Ryan in favor of second-year pro Sam Ehlinger, who is making his first career start Sunday.

While there is an advantage in facing a quarterback who hasn't started in the NFL before, there is also a disadvantage. There isn't a ton of good tape on Ehlinger that the Commanders can study in a film session, so Washington has to get creative. And it certainly can't underestimate Ehlinger.

"We respect everybody and certainly the way they're able to run the football and do certain things," defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio said. They got good receiver talent and they've got a guy they're excited about getting to look at. And so, you know, we're geared up and ready to go. We've looked at all that though, all the way back to looking at draft reports. So been pretty thorough in terms of getting prepared for him.”

The news of Ehlinger starting gives the Commanders hope going into the game, but once the ball is kicked off, it doesn't matter who is on the other sideline. You have to play whoever is in front of you.

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Published Oct 27, 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.