The Indianapolis Colts grabbed their first win of the preseason Saturday night in a 24-17 victory over the Chicago Bears at Lucas Oil Stadium.
Though the starters didn’t see the field after conducting some physical joint training camp practices at the Grand Park Sports Complex in Westfield earlier in the week, we still got to see some football take place in the Circle City.
Here’s a look at the studs and duds from the Colts’ preseason win Saturday night:
STUD: QB Gardner Minshew
The starters rested during this game so Minshew acted as the starting quarterback Saturday night, and he was extremely efficient. Though the first drive was a three-and-out thanks to a penalty that negated a first down, Minshew got better as the game went on. He capped his night with a final touchdown drive early in the second quarter that lasted 12 plays, 74 yards and six first downs.
In all, Minshew completed 13-of-15 passes for 107 yards, one touchdown and a 118.6 passer rating.
DUD: Running Backs
It was another rough showing from the backfield without Jonathan Taylor or Zack Moss. Deon Jackson got the start with the second team, and Evan Hull mixed in as well followed by Kenyan Drake, Jake Funk and Jason Huntley. No running back had more than 19 rushing yards, and the entire room combined for 23 carries for 63 rushing yards (2.7 average) and one rushing touchdown.
STUD: CB Jaylon Jones
Our player of the game from Saturday night’s win, Jones continues to show up with the third-team defense, and he made a strong case for a roster spot against the Bears. Jones provided sticky coverage the entire night and came away with a pass deflection. His physicality against ball carriers was evident, and he even made a fantastic special teams stop, which is only going to help his case for a roster spot.
DUD: TE Pharaoh Brown
Despite the incredible amount of injuries hitting the tight end room, Brown hasn’t done much to help his case for a roster spot. On the very first drive of the game, Brown was called for an offensive pass interference penalty that negated a first down, forcing the Colts into a third-and-long, which they nearly converted. Considering Brown also got thrown out of practice due to fights during joint practices, this week did not help his case at all.
STUD: QB Sam Ehlinger
The preseason king continues to dominate. Ehlinger was 9-of-14 passing for 124 yards and a 92.6 passer rating. He led the entire team with 60 rushing yards and helped chip away at the Bears’ lead during the fourth quarter with a five-yard scramble for a touchdown. It isn’t clear whether the Colts will keep three quarterbacks on the active roster, but Ehlinger isn’t making the decision easy.
DUD: LT Blake Freeland
The rookie offensive tackle worked as the second-team left tackle this week as the team moved Arlington Hambright to the right guard position. Freeland struggled in pass protection on a handful of occasions, including a sack-fumble that he wound up pouncing on to recover. As a Day 3 rookie, these things will happen as he learns his way around the NFL. We shouldn’t be out on Freeland in the slightest, but relying on him to be the only swing tackle probably isn’t the brightest idea.
STUD: DE Titus Leo
The sixth-round pick certainly made his presence felt Saturday night. Leo was second on the team with seven tackles (three solo) while adding a sack, a quarterback hit, a tackle for loss and a batted pass. There isn’t a whole lot of room at the defensive end position, but this is certainly putting him on the right track for a potential fringe roster spot.
