Colts 'confident' quarterback Jacob Eason can step up if injured Carson Wentz can't play

INDIANAPOLIS — Jacob Eason might have to make his first NFL start this week.  

Carson Wentz suffered sprains in both ankles Sunday against the Los Angeles Rams. The second, to his right ankle, was bad enough that it knocked Wentz out of the game and Eason into the first action of his NFL career.

Indianapolis is still evaluating Wentz’s injuries, and if the Colts starter cannot go, it will be Eason leading the Indianapolis offense into a critical game against the Tennessee Titans.

“I think Jacob’s been doing a really good job, he’s been really dialed in,” Colts head coach Frank Reich said. “Scott Milanovich, our quarterbacks coach, has spent a lot of time with Jacob, all through training camp and even here in these first couple of weeks, just like he’s playing. If called upon, I’m confident Jacob will do a nice job.”

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Eason faltered in his first NFL action on Sunday.

Wentz was knocked out of the game at the end of a game-tying field goal drive, and the Rams responded by methodically driving for the go-ahead field goal, leaving Eason with 2:23 to either tie the game or lead the Colts to a win.

“The situation he got thrown into the other day is as tough as it gets,” said Reich, the longtime backup to Hall of Fame QB Jim Kelly in Buffalo. “I can tell you from experience.”

Eason’s first NFL snaps turned into a game-sealing mistake.

After firing incomplete to Zach Pascal on first down, Eason tried to hit tight end Jack Doyle in coverage for an explosive play on second down, only to throw the ball out of Doyle’s reach and into the hands of Rams star Jalen Ramsey for an interception.

“I think in that situation, I was probably trying to do too much,” Eason said. “It’s a critical situation. We’ve got to go a certain number of yards and get a field goal to tie it up. Just go through my progressions and find the right guy.”

There was still time on the clock.

The Colts did not desperately need a chunk play on second down to get the drive started. In hindsight, Eason knows he probably could have methodically worked his way into range for Rodrigo Blankenship, who has not missed in the young season.

Indianapolis got the ball back one more time with 24 seconds left, and after Michael Pittman Jr. dropped Eason’s first offering, the second-year quarterback picked up the first two completions of his career: a 10-yarder to Pittman Jr. and a 5-yarder to Pascal to start a last-ditch, desperation lateral play.

“You can’t predict when stuff like that is going to happen,” Eason said. “Learn from it, grow from it and continue to improve and see things out there. … I wish I could have done a better job of taking what they were giving me instead of trying to force some things here and there.”

The Colts chose to go with Eason, rather than signing a veteran backup, after a training camp competition with rookie quarterback Sam Ehlinger that went down to the final preseason game and a sprained knee that put Ehlinger on injured reserve.

Ultimately, Eason is still learning the mental side of the game, but the Colts believe getting thrown in with the starters for most of training camp has accelerated the second-year quarterback’s learning curve, and Reich believes he’s already seen improvement.

“Better identifications of fronts and coverages,” Reich said. “Knowing which run check to get us into, in the pass game, being able to identify coverages, the way teams disguise coverages. … and working the progression accordingly.”

If Eason has to start against Tennessee, he’ll have a week of practice to get ready, rather than the hurried preparation he had on Sunday while trainers tried to get Wentz back in the game and the defense allowed Los Angeles to drive down the field for the eventual game-winner.

“You could see the growth,” Reich said. “I could see the growth the last two weeks from the way he’s run scout team this year, compared to the way he ran it last year. He’s making the right steps.”

If Wentz isn’t able to play against the Titans, Eason’s going to have to take a giant leap forward.