The Indianapolis Colts are searching for a spark as they are 3-3-1 heading into their Week 8 matchup with the Washington Commanders. They have been unable to find any consistency on either side of the ball, so they decided now was the time to make a change.

Veteran Matt Ryan, whom they acquired in the offseason from the Atlanta Falcons, has been removed from the starting lineup. He did suffer a shoulder injury in their Week 7 defeat at the hands of the Tennessee Titans, but a change was going to be made regardless according to the coaching staff.

Sam Ehlinger will now be taking over as the team’s starting quarterback. Ehlinger was a sixth-round pick out of Texas in 2021 and will provide the team with some dual-threat ability as he was a solid runner collegiately. 

They are hoping that the success that he found in the preseason this year, as he was one of the best players in the league during the exhibition season, will carry over into the regular season. The former Longhorn is looking forward to making his first career start on Sunday.

“I was just excited,” Ehlinger said, via Nate Atkins of the Indianapolis Star. “I’ve learned in this league that you can never be surprised. There’s so much stuff that can happen on a week-to-week basis in a week-to-week league.”

It was only a few weeks ago that Ehlinger, who entered the season as the team’s No. 3 quarterback, surpassed veteran Nick Foles for the No. 2 spot on the team. That provided a hint that there was something the Colts liked, which has now culminated in him being named the starter.

Despite not having much experience in the regular season, as he has appeared in only three games in his career, Ehlinger is not lacking in confidence. “I’m a young quarterback who has an exciting style of play,” Ehlinger said.

The Colts are certainly hopeful that his exciting style of play translates to some victories on the field. Despite their rocky start, Indianapolis is right in the thick of the playoff race, just on the outside looking in.