5 things to watch during Bears' Week 4 matchup
Two of the NFL's top three third-down defenses will square off at 3:25 p.m. Sunday at Soldier Field when the Bears host the Colts. The Bears rank No. 2, while the Colts are No. 3.
So either it's time for the trends to end, or there could be a lot of punts and field goals in this one.
Here's what to watch for in the Week 4 contest.
All eyes on the QBs
Naturally, given the developments of the last week, all eyes will be on Bears quarterback Nick Foles. As a member of the Jacksonville Jaguars, Foles faced this Colts defense on Nov. 17 last season, and threw for 296 yards and two touchdowns with an interception. That was a game the Jaguars lost, 33-13.
These Colts are off to a great start, defensively. Foles released the ball quickly last week against Atlanta and he will need to do so against a Colts defense with the third-highest sack rate in the NFL.
On the other side, Philip Rivers has faced the Bears just four times in his career, and is 2-2 in those games with a QB rating of 84.5, four touchdowns and four interceptions. He and the Los Angeles Chargers escaped with a win last year when Eddy Pineiro missed a potential game-winning field goal at Soldier Field.
Passing attack by committee
After facing a prolific receiver like the Atlanta Falcons' Calvin Ridley last week, the Bears defense will see a different approach this week. The Colts don't have a receiver nearly as explosive as Ridley.
Colts tight end Mo Alie-Cox leads the team in receiving yards with 181 yards on 10 catches. Receiver T.Y. Hilton has 10 catches for 133 yards, but he is a few years past his most productive seasons and is coming off an injury-plagued 2019 season.
The Colts running backs will be heavily involved in the pass game. Nyheim Hines has caught 13 passes and Jonathan Taylor has hauled in nine. The Colts haven't needed to pass much in blowout wins against Minnesota and the New York Jets.
Familiar Rhodes
In Week 3, Colts cornerback Xavier Rhodes earned the AFC defensive player of the week award. He had two interceptions, one of which he brought back for a touchdown, against Jets quarterback Sam Darnold.
The Bears are well acquainted with Rhodes from his seven years with Minnesota. Rhodes has more passes defended (11) against the Bears than any other team in his career. He has two career interceptions against the Bears, but not since he picked off Matt Barkley on Jan. 1, 2017.
Coming off a dominant performance against the Jets, Rhodes will be tasked with slowing down Bears receiver Allen Robinson, who is also coming off his best game of the year.
There is a blueprint
The numbers are gaudy for the Colts defense (first in points against, first in yards against, third in third-down conversion rate), but Jacksonville showed in Week 1 that this Colts defense has vulnerabilities.
Jaguars rookie running back James Robinson grinded out a modest 62 yards on 16 carries. But he had 61 yards on 10 carries in the first half, and carried the Jags down the field early in that game.
According the NFL Next Gen Stats' running back metrics, Robinson and David Montgomery are fairly similar runners. Robinson was an overlooked FCS player (via Rockford Lutheran High School and Illinois State) who was knocked for his 4.6-second 40-yard dash. Montgomery, who also ran a 4.6 at the combine, doesn't wow anyone with his speed, but likes to barrel over defenders.
Jacksonville went to Robinson early and often in Week 1, and won. The Bears should do the same with Montgomery.
Justin Houston is still dangerous
Edge rusher Justin Houston leads the Colts with 2.5 sacks and is tied for second on the team with three QB hits. The former four-time Pro Bowler with the Kansas City Chiefs is having a revival, of sorts, in Indianapolis.
Houston led the Colts with 11 sacks last year. The Colts added tackle DeForest Buckner into the mix via a trade with San Francisco to make this a formidable pass rush duo in Indianapolis.