NFC Game Of The Week
Indianapolis Colts at Chicago Bears
Colts: They’ve appeared to turn the page after an upsetting loss in week one against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Their defense has had my attention these last two weeks. I’ve seen a unit that’s been active all over the field that’s forced turnovers left and right. When they played the Minnesota Vikings in week two, they intercepted Kirk Cousins three times, and last week against the New York Jets, they recorded three more interceptions. Now, the offense. They don’t need Philip Rivers to come in and play hero ball. All they need is for him to manage the football game at this point in his career. He doesn’t need to throw the ball 35 to 40 times a game because he has a consistent running game to lean upon. On Sunday, they will look to extend their winning streak.
Bears: Mitchell Tribusky was benched! Matt Nagy finally did it. Nick Foles came to the rescue again and helped bring the Bears back from a 16-point deficit in Atlanta. After the game, I said there’s no way Matt can mess this up. I am a firm believer in continuing to go with the hot hand. Nick is the best option for this team moving forward. Mitchell has had three years to improve and he hasn’t. As far as I’m concerned, he’s been too inconsistent. The Bears’ defense has been under large amounts of pressure because of their offense. That could all change with the quarterback change. The Bears are 3-0 for the first time since 2013. They look to advance to 4-0 for the first time since 2006 on Sunday.
Colts X-Factor: Xavier Rhodes– He has elevated the guys around him. Look at how the Colts are playing defensively in the back end. They lead the league in interceptions with six so far. On Sunday, I expect to see him covering Allen Robinson throughout the game.
Bears X-Factor: Cordarrelle Patterson– The Tarik Cohen injury was devastating because he’s a key part of the Bears offensive scheme. However, in this game, the next man must step up. This is where Cordarrelle can be that “Tarik replacement”. I look for the Bears to use him on handoffs and in the passing attack.
Final Thoughts: This should be a fun game. It’s an interesting quarterback battle. Rivers has settled in with the Colts and this will be Foles first start for the Bears. The matchup I’m watching in this game is the Bears defensive front against this Colts offensive line. That is going to be a dogfight in the trenches. I want to see where Nick picks up from his last game. This is going to be the toughest opponent Indy will have seen in the young season.
Prediction: Bears 24 Colts 17
