Few things were as surprising in Week 1 as the first half of the game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Jacksonville Jaguars. Rookie wide receiver Allen Hurns burned the Eagles big time and had Jacksonville out to an early three-score lead, and the Eagles were on the ropes. But then the Jaguars remembered that ... they're the Jaguars, and the Eagles came back to take a healthy lead and earn a comfortable win.
Eagles vs. Colts 2014: Andrew Luck, Nick Foles set for primetime showdown
The Colts are 0-1, but may have been more impressive in Week 1 than the 1-0 Eagles. Both teams will be looking for a win under the bright lights of “Monday Night Football” in Week 2.
Rich Schultz
Surely the Indianapolis Colts have reviewed a play or two from that first half. The Colts were losers in Week 1, but they may have looked more impressive than the Eagles, a team that needed a second-half comeback against one of the worst squads in the league. Philadelphia probably feels its playoff ticket is already punched on the back of a weak NFC East, but the Colts aren't going to make things easy for them under the bright lights of Monday Night Football.
Let’s take a look at both teams below.
Meet the Colts
Indianapolis didn't have a terrible showing in Week 1, but the Colts are 0-1 to start the season all the same. Three second-quarter touchdowns by the Denver Broncos, all caught by tight end Julius Thomas, all but sealed that game. Indianapolis struggled to contain Thomas, and that's putting it lightly. He caught seven passes for 104 yards, including those three touchdowns. Needless to say, the Colts desperately need to have a better handle on Philadelphia's Zach Ertz come Monday.
It wasn't all bad for the Colts. Quarterback Andrew Luck played well, which was expected against Denver's secondary. The only issue is that it took him a while to get going. Touchdown passes of 41 yards to Dwayne Allen and 9 yards to Hakeem Nicks look nice on the stat sheet, but the Colts still came up a touchdown shy of beating the Broncos after the two fourth-quarter scores.
Still, Luck managed to complete 35 of 53 pass attempts for 370 yards and the aforementioned touchdowns. If he manages to clean up his game a little -- by doing away with the pair of interceptions -- then the Colts will be in good shape. But even if Luck shreds Philadelphia’s pass defense, it’s not likely the Colts can sustain themselves with 53 passes and just 14 carries -- five of which were courtesy of Luck himself.
Meet the Eagles
Philadelphia didn’t have an inspiring day against the pass in Week 1, allowing the Jaguars to throw for 242 yards after sacks. But if there’s any developing trend from Week 1 that’s expected to carry over, the run defense being solid will probably be it. The Eagles held Jacksonville to just 64 yards rushing, and given Trent Richardson’s struggles, they could frustrate the Colts and force Luck to pass more than he wants to.
Ertz should be a point of focus for quarterback Nick Foles, after he had a solid game against Jacksonville and after the Colts completely forgot to defend Thomas in Week 1. Ertz caught three passes for 77 yards and a touchdown, while Foles threw for 322 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. Philadelphia also threw the ball a lot -- 45 times -- but it had the ball more often and also added 32 carries, with 74 yards picked up by LeSean McCoy and 71 yards courtesy of Darren Sproles.
Both defenses are in for a long day, but Philadelphia's seems more likely to be on the ropes. Indianapolis may have lost to Denver, but it also faced the constant artillery shelling from Peyton Manning and still made it a close game, while the Eagles comparatively struggled against the Jaguars' offense, led by Chad Henne.
Injuries
Colts:
Out: LB Jerrell Freeman (hamstring), OL Joe Reitz (ankle)
Questionable: DT Josh Chapman (ankle), DL Arthur Jones (shoulder), C Khaled Holmes (ankle)
Probable: CB Greg Toler (ribs), S Sergio Brown (shoulder)
Eagles:
Out: WR Josh Huff (shoulder), OT Matt Tobin (ankle)
Probable: CB Jaylen Watkins (hamstring), WR Brad Smith (groin), RB Chris Polk (hamstring)
Follow the Fun
Colts:
Eagles:
Odds
The Colts opened as 2.5-point favorites and throughout the week rose to be favored by 3 points, according to OddsShark.
Next Week
The Colts will hit the road to take on the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sept. 21. The Eagles will return home to host the Washington football team on the same day.
See More:
