Bears at Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are back on the Western side of the Atlantic Ocean but brought some very real questions about their ability to compete for a playoff spot with them from their trip to London. The Colts will try to find some answers and avoid falling into an even bigger hole when they host the Chicago Bears on Sunday.
Indianapolis' 2015 campaign went off the rails when it became clear the team could not protect quarterback Andrew Luck, who eventually went down with a lacerated kidney, and it looks like little has changed as the former Pro-Bowler is on pace to be sacked 60 times this year. "We'll go back and fix what we need to fix," Luck told reporters after being pressured on 21 of his 42 dropbacks in a 30-27 loss to Jacksonville in London. "We've got really good football players in that locker room. Really good coaches. A great culture. And we'll be all right. We'll be all right. This does not feel good, and it shouldn't." The Bears' defense is tied for 24th in the NFL with just six sacks on the season but turned in its best performance last week with two and a pair of interceptions in a 17-14 win over Detroit. Chicago has its own issues at quarterback, with Jay Cutler (thumb) on his way back and backup Brian Hoyer playing well.
TV: 1 p.m. ET, FOX. LINE: Colts -4.5. O/U: 47.5
ABOUT THE BEARS (1-3): Hoyer passed for 619 yards and four touchdowns without an interception in his two starts, and coach John Fox said his decision on who would start when both he and Cutler are healthy is "performance-based." Hoyer's performance has been aided by the emergence of rookie running back Jordan Howard, who broke out for 111 yards against the Lions after totaling 67 in his first two games and is averaging 5.1 per carry. Howard will get another chance to show off this week while starting in place of Jeremy Langford (ankle), who sat out against Detroit and is not expected to play versus Indianapolis.
ABOUT THE COLTS (1-3): Indianapolis' problems extend to both sides of the ball, and the team made some changes on defense this week by cutting a pair of starters in linebacker Sio Moore and cornerback Antonio Cromartie. Moore was starting in part because the Colts did not re-sign Jerrell Freeman, who ended up with the Bears, and finding someone to line up alongside D'Qwell Jackson at inside linebacker will be a battle among several players in practice this week. The Colts also have the option of helping the defense by activating lineman Arthur Jones, who is on the exempt list after serving his four-game suspension for using performance-enhancing drugs.
EXTRA POINTS
1. Bears placed WR Kevin White, who sat out the entire 2015 campaign with a stress fracture in his left tibia after being drafted in the first round, on injured reserve with a broken left fibula on Wednesday.
2. Colts CB Darius Butler (hamstring) could make his return after missing the last two games.
3. Indianapolis RB Frank Gore (chest) did not practice on Wednesday and is day-to-day.