NEWSLETTER
You probably wouldn’t recognize it based on the national perception of the two teams, but the Bears and Colts are quite similar.
The Bears are 23-12 since the start of 2018. They made the playoffs in Nagy’s first year, but followed up with a disappointing 2019. However, they are trending in the right direction with a 3-0 start in 2020.
Meanwhile, the Colts are 19-16 in the same time frame. Indy also made the playoffs in their head coach’s first year, followed with a disappointing 2019, and are off to a nice start of their own in 2020.
See what I’m getting at?
If not, then check out the players, coaches, and executives each franchise has had in their crosshairs in recent years:
• Before the Colts hired Chris Ballard to be their GM, the ex-Bears scout interviewed for the gig that ultimately went to Ryan Pace. In fact, they interviewed on the same day!
• Bears Head Coach Matt Nagy was on the Colts’ short list of candidates in 2018. Indianapolis ultimately hired Frank Reich after Josh McDaniels left them at the altar. There was a fair amount of the crossover in the teams’ respective searches.
• Nagy and Reich were at the front lines of trying to bring an end to the preseason.
• Speaking of coaches, recall that Chuck Pagano was a Colts head coach for six seasons!
• Do you remember our obsession with offensive lineman Quenton Nelson? The Bears seemed to really like him, but the Colts swiped him off the draft board two spots before the Bears pick.
• Speaking of the draft, the Bears scouted Mo Alie-Cox as a tight end prospect in 2017. Before he was a breakout pro, Alie-Cox was transitioning from being a college basketball standout at VCU.
• The Bears met with Colts kicker Rodrigo Blankenship before the draft. He earned a strong endorsement from ex-Bears kicker Kevin Butler, too.
• Colts pass-rusher Justin Houston was believed to be someone who made sense for the Bears when they were looking for help at the position.
• Trey Burton!
Two peas in a pod playing in a spaceship on the lake. Let’s get it on!
“Never Tell Me The Odds”
The DraftKings SportsBook lists the Bears (3-0) as 2.5-point underdogs against the Colts (2-1). The total is set at 43, which is tied for the lowest projected total among Sunday’s slate of games.
Series History:
The Bears trail the all-time series 19-24. That record includes Super Bowl XLI, which – for all intents and purposes – ended after Devin Hester returned the opening kick for a touchdown. Anything that happened after that was for show and nothing else. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it!
Game Time, Broadcast Info, Officiating Crew:
Location: Soldier Field
Broadcast Info: Sunday, October 4 at 3:25 p.m. CT on CBS-TV (Greg Gumbel, Rich Gannon, Amanda Balionis), WBBM-AM 780 and WCFS-FM 105.9 (Jeff Joniak, Tom Thayer, Mark Grote), ESPN Radio (Sean Kelley, Ben Hartsock)
Referee: Craig Wrolstad
Expected Starters and Lineups:
Bears Expected Starters:
Offense
• QB Mitchell Trubisky Nick Foles
• RB David Montgomery
• WRs Allen Robinson II, Anthony Miller
• TE Jimmy Graham, Demetrius Harris
• LT Charles Leno Jr., LG James Daniels, C Cody Whitehair, RG Germain Ifedi, RT Bobby Massie
Defense
• DT Akiem Hicks, NT Bilal Nichols, DE Roy Robertson-Harris
• OLBs Khalil Mack, Robert Quinn
• ILBs Roquan Smith, Danny Trevathan
• CBs Kyle Fuller, Jaylon Johnson
• FS Eddie Jackson
• SS Tashaun Gipson Sr.
Specialists
• Cairo Santos (kicker), Pat O’Donnell (punter, holder), Patrick Sales (long snapper), Cordarrelle Patterson (kick returns), Tarik Cohen (punt returns)
Colts Expected Starters:
Offense
• QB Philip Rivers
• RB Jonathan Taylor
• WRs TY Hilton, Zach Pascal
• TEs Mo Alie-Cox, Jack Doyle
• LT Anthony Castonzo, LG Quenton Nelson, C Ryan Kelley, RG Mark Glowinski, RT Braden Smith
Defense
• DE Denico Autry, DT DeForest Buckner, NT Grover Stewart, DE Justin Houston
• LBs Bobby Okere, Anthony Miller, Darius Leonard
• CBs Xavier Rhodes, Kenny Moore II
• Ss Julian Blackmon, Khari Willis
Specialists
• Rodrigo Blankenship (kicker), Rigoberto Sanchez (punter, holder), Luke Rhodes (long snapper), Nyheim Hines (kick and punt returns)
Three Bears …
Nick Foles is running the show now. And while the Colts present a tougher challenge than the Falcons, this is the type of game where Foles’ strengths should be in play. So long as he processes what he sees, eliminates mistakes, and takes what the defense gives him, the Bears offense has a puncher’s chance to put up some points.
Jimmy Graham was Foles’ most targeted pass-catcher last week, which is interesting to note. I don’t want to make too much from a small sample, but that trend should continue if the Bears continue to get more red-zone opportunities. And if defenses bracket him, it should leave opportunities for others.
Akiem Hicks has arguably the biggest challenge ahead of him. Hicks takes on Quenton Nelson and one of the best collection of interior offensive linemen this league has to offer. It’ll be a tougher task without Eddie Goldman eating space in the middle, but we know Hicks is up for it.
