After a Sunday pock-marked with injuries to major players, Monday night's game promises to be one of the most entertaining in a bizarre Week 2.
Here's what to watch for as the Philadelphia Eagles travel to Indianapolis to take on the Colts:
- Nick Foles played the worst half of football of any quarterback we watched in Week 1, missing open receivers and holding onto the ball too long. He has the perfect opportunity for a bounce-back game against a Colts defense lacking a proven pass rusher in the absence of All-Pro linebacker Robert Mathis.
- Robert Mathis' replacement, 2013 first-round pick Bjoern Werner, will attempt to harass Foles behind an Eagles offensive line missing All-Pro guard Evan Mathis and down to its third-string right tackle. Werner has managed just 2.5 sacks in 14 career games.
- The Colts are 10-0 coming off a loss since Andrew Luck arrived on the scene in 2012. If he's going to keep that perfect record intact against the Eagles, he'll have to overcome offensive line issues of his own. The Broncos' defense combined for 27 sacks, quarterback hits, tackles for loss and passes defensed compared to 12 for the Colts defense in Week 1.
- Trent Richardson hasn't topped 70 rushing yards or 4.0 yards per carry in any one game since the Colts acquired him a year ago. He'll try to end that skid while sharing the workload with a more effective Ahmad Bradshaw.
- Mathis isn't the only key defender sidelined for the Colts. Leading tackler Jerrell Freeman will miss Monday's game with a hamstring injury. Chip Kelly's offense tends to generate soft boxes, and that should be no different against a Chuck Pagano defense that has allowed an average of 39 points and 431 yards in the last three games going back to the 2013 playoffs. LeSean McCoy and Darren Sproles will be a handful.
The latest "Around The NFL Podcast" recaps every Sunday game from an upset-heavy Week 2 in the NFL, and considers what RGIII's injury could mean for the Redskins.
