The third preseason game today on NFL Network is a matchup featuring the Chicago Bears and the Indianapolis Colts.
Bears head coach Matt Eberflus announced that QB Justin Fields and select starters will not play tonight, allowing the backups and bubble players to get an extended opportunity. How will they fare against the Colts? We break it down with the betting odds, picks, and more.
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Chicago Bears vs. Indianapolis Colts (-4.5)
Note: the line was Colts -3.5 at the time of writing
Soppe: Fade the public spot. To say Anthony Richardson looked like a rookie in his debut would be an understatement.
Over the past two seasons, first-round quarterbacks have completed 65.4% of their passes in the second week of the preseason with an impressive 5:1 TD-to-INT ratio.
Richardson’s numbers weren’t impressive, but there was a deep pass that could have easily connected, giving us some signs of hope.
The Colts did name him their Week 1 starter earlier this week, so it stands to reason that they use this as an opportunity to get him some confidence as we approach games that matter.
On the other side, the Bears saw all they needed to last week and could well coast to the regular season. I’m not sold on their offensive depth, so if Richardson can strike early, this could be a wire-to-wire deal.
Pick: Colts -3.5 (-110)
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Chicago Bears Roster and Injury Report
The Bears’ starting offense impressed last week, with two scoring drives in the first quarter on long touchdowns. Given that Fields isn’t playing this week, I’m guessing that they’ve seen enough from the rest of the starters on offense as well.
Last week, each of Fields’ backups got reps at quarterback, and it’s expected that tonight will be much of the same. Former Panthers QB PJ Walker is the primary backup, with Nathan Peterman at third string. Undrafted rookie Tyson Bagent will see snaps under center again as well.
Rookie RB Roschon Johnson got the majority of the carries last week, which should be the case tonight as well. Johnson, alongside D’Onta Foreman, is backing up Khalil Herbert, who had an impressive 56-yard touchdown reception last week.
This week in practice, starting center Cody Whitehair suffered a right hand injury in one-on-one drills. The severity of Whitehair’s injury has yet to be confirmed.
Indianapolis Colts Roster and Injury Report
Besides the development of Richardson, the biggest storyline out of Colts training camp has been the team’s contract dispute with star RB Jonathan Taylor.
After returning to training camp earlier this week after undergoing off-site treatment on his ankle, Taylor left once again for personal reasons, which was approved by the team. Taylor remains on the PUP list, and there doesn’t appear to be a resolution to his trade request anytime soon.
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On the injury front, WR Ashton Dulin tore his ACL in practice on Wednesday, officially ending his season. DE Genard Avery was also placed on injured reserve this week.
With Dulin out for the season, there is another roster spot at wide receiver up for grabs. Veteran WR Breshad Perriman and young players such as Mike Strachan, Malik Turner, Amari Rodgers, and Vyncint Smith, to name a few, will all get playing time these next two weeks to fight to make the 53-man roster.
