Chicago Bears vs. Indianapolis Colts
We find ourselves now facing the last opponent in the first quarter of the season. This game is at home, which will not help seeing there will not be any fans and travel from Indianapolis to Chicago takes less than four hours.
This will be a new Colts team with Philip Rivers now starting instead of Jacoby Brissett. This team could have been something had Andrew Luck not retired. Instead, it finds itself looking for a bridge quarterback in Rivers. Rivers is definitely an upgrade over Brissett, but even he has issues. He holds onto the ball too much, takes unnecessary sacks at times and also throws interceptions in crucial moments. That said, he also has a strong arm and likes to hit his receivers deep.
Honestly, when I look at the Colts, I see a mediocre offense in regards to talent. The wide receivers are not anything that should scare anyone. I can see TY Hilton having a good year if he can stay healthy, but otherwise, the receivers are not too concerning. The tight end position is mediocre too with Trey Burton and Jack Doyle. Burton is already hurt and likely to miss the first two games. The offensive line is solidly led by Quinton Nelson, but they were still only the 12th best line in 2019.
As far as the defense is concerned, the team is fairly well balanced. In 2019, the defense ranked 19th overall in defensive DVOA. Broken down the team was 19th versus the pass and 18th versus the run. Well, balanced teams usually are difficult matchups, but if the Bears offense clicks just a little, this game should be similar to the Falcons game and a close matchup. Between the Falcons and the Colts game, I see the Bears splitting them.