Former Texas quarterback Sam Ehlinger made his first regular season start as an NFL quarterback Sunday, taking over from former NFL MVP Matt Ryan on the Indianapolis Colts.

The move by head coach Frank Reich to bench Ryan made Ehlinger the first Texas quarterback to be named an outright starter independent of injuries since Colt McCoy started at quarterback for the Cleveland Browns in 2011.

Ehlinger took on the 15th-ranked Washington scoring defense and struggled at times, as many young quarterbacks do, ultimately losing to the Commanders 17-16 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

“I thought Sam played well,” Reich said after the game. “I thought he threw the ball well. I thought he looked poised, made good decisions (and) gave us a chance. … Even though it was very frustrating, … you could just tell that he was seeing it and that he looked poised in the pocket.”

Ehlinger’s big-play ability was on display despite completing 17 of his 23 passes for 201 yards and no touchdowns. On the first play of the fourth quarter with the Colts down by one, Ehlinger dropped a moon ball into the hands of running back Nyheim Hines for a 22-yard gain, setting up a field-goal from kicker Chase McLaughlin to take the lead. 

With 22 seconds left in the game, the Colts were again down by one with one timeout left. Ehlinger traversed the pocket and threw a dart to wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr., but Pittman Jr. dropped the pass. The play would have put the Colts inside the 50-yard line with a chance to hit a game-winning field goal. Ehlinger wasn’t perfect, but he flashed big-play potential throughout the game.

Coming into the NFL as a 6th round draft pick, expectations for Ehlinger to make it in the league weren’t super high. However, Ehlinger clawed his way from scout team quarterback to preseason darling, all the way to the Colts’ starting quarterback job through his hard work and leadership.

“We’ve always thought from day one that Sam had some kind of special sauce,” Reich said Oct. 24. “The quality of his throws, the way he’s commanding himself out there — (he’s) just the total package.”

Some critics labeled the move by the Colts as a tanking move, hoping for a high pick in the 2023 draft and the chance to select a highly-touted college quarterback like Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud or Alabama’s Bryce Young. Despite all of the outside noise, players within the Colts organization have exhibited faith in Ehlinger as their starting quarterback.

“It means the world to have leaders on this team that believe in me and have verbally expressed that they have my back,” Ehlinger said. “Obviously we came up short, but to have coach (Reich) and (Matt) Ryan, … knowing (they have) support for me, it means the world.”

The internal belief in Ehlinger and his teammates’ support shows in Ehlinger’s character and his development as a quarterback, something Texas fans grew to respect in his time as the Longhorns’ quarterback. Ehlinger will look to continue his improvement and lead the Colts back to the playoffs after falling short last year with current Commanders quarterback Carson Wentz.

“I’m unbelievably grateful for this opportunity and the things that have happened in my life,” Ehlinger said. “I haven’t really had a moment to take it all in because I’ve been so focused on getting better, … but I’m humbled and very grateful.”