Cleveland Browns quarterback Garrett Gilbert struggled on the first two drives of the preseason game against the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium, but the third possession seemed to be the charm for the Lake Travis High School product and former Alliance of American Football standout.
Gilbert engineered a seven-play, 64-yard drive that took just over four minutes off the first-quarter clock and threw the Browns into a 7-0 lead over the Colts when a four-yard touchdown pass to veteran wide receiver Jaelen Strong.
Strong broke free on the right side of the formation, and as Gilbert was hustling away from pressure in the pocket, he muscled a throw high toward the back line of the end zone. Left open by the Colts’ secondary, Strong hauled in the reception for the touchdown.
Gilbert had just one incompletion on the scoring drive, but the deep pass down the left side of the field to wide receiver D.J. Montgomery drew a pass-interference penalty from Colts defensive back Rock Ya-Sin, which moved the ball from the Indianapolis 46-yard line to the 21.
After coming up empty on the first two drives of the game, Gilbert completed four passes for 32 yards on the scoring drive.
Gilbert finished the first quarter six of 10 for 57 yards with the four-yard touchdown, good for a 109.2 quarterback rating.
During the preseason opener against Washington, Gilbert completed 14 of his 22 attempts for 135 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions, which earned him an 80.7 quarterback rating.
