INDIANAPOLIS — The Indianapolis Colts (2-1) on Sunday travel to take on the Chicago Bears (3-0) in their 2020 Week 4 matchup at Solider Field — and, accordingly, it's time to take a look at the team's unofficial depth chart for the game.
Here is a position-by-position look for the Bears matchup, with some notes for each unit:
OFFENSE
» WR: T.Y. Hilton, Daurice Fountain, Dezmon Patmon
» LT: Anthony Castonzo, Chaz Green
» LG: Quenton Nelson
» C: Ryan Kelly, Danny Pinter
» RG: Mark Glowinski
» RT: Braden Smith, Le'Raven Clark
» TE: Jack Doyle
» TE: Mo Alie-Cox, Noah Togiai
» WR: Zach Pascal
» WR: Michael Pittman Jr., Ashton Dulin
» QB: Philip Rivers, Jacoby Brissett, Jacob Eason
» RB: Jonathan Taylor, Nyheim Hines, Jordan Wilkins
Notes:
» One major change expected from this list moving forward is the loss of rookie wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr., who underwent surgery Sunday night for an injury to his lower leg and is expected to miss a few weeks. He remains here for now because the team is yet to formally make a roster move (it's possible he could be placed on injured reserve, which would keep him out a minimum of three weeks), but in the meantime, guys like Ashton Dulin, Daurice Fountain and Dezmon Patmon will have to step it up in Pittman Jr.'s absence. The Colts also have wide receivers DeMichael Harris and Marcus Johnson on their practice squad if needed.
» One of the more interesting items to keep an eye on heading into last Sunday's game against the Jets was how the Colts would handle the tight end position, with starter Jack Doyle returning after missing Week 2 vs. continuing to give opportunities to the up-and-coming Mo Alie-Cox, who had a career-best performance playing a much larger role with Doyle out. Against the Jets, it was Alie-Cox who actually was on the field more (36 offensive snaps) than Doyle (32 snaps); Alie-Cox finished with three receptions for 50 yards and a touchdown, while Doyle was not targeted once in the game. It was the first time Doyle had zero targets in a game in which he appeared since Week 15 of the 2015 season. Definitely something to keep an eye on moving forward, and even more so when/if Trey Burton returns from injured reserve, which could happen as soon as this Sunday against the Bears.
» Last Sunday's win over the Jets featured one of the more evenly-distributed snap counts between the running backs you'll see for the Colts. Part of that has to do with the lopsided score allowing for more late opportunities for Jordan Wilkins, but, in general, Jonathan Taylor, Nyheim Hines and Wilkins were rotating in and out at a pretty decent rate throughout the game. Taylor had 24 offensive snaps (with 14 touches), Hines had 20 (with 11 touches) and Wilkins finished with 17 (with 10 touches).
» One more thing on the offensive side of the ball: a blowout win over the Jets last Sunday allowed the Colts to dive into their depth both offensively and defensively. We saw Le'Raven Clark (left tackle), Chaz Green (left guard) and rookie Danny Pinter (center) get six snaps each, respectively, up front along the offensive line. Might not sound like much, but remember: these guys didn't get the benefit of four preseason games to get actual game reps in.
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DEFENSE
» DE: Justin Houston, Ben Banogu
» DT: DeForest Buckner, Tyquan Lewis
» NT: Grover Stewart, Taylor Stallworth, Eli Ankou
» DE: Denico Autry, Al-Quadin Muhammad
» WLB: Darius Leonard, Jordan Glasgow
» MLB: Anthony Walker, Zaire Franklin
» SAM: Bobby Okereke, E.J. Speed
» CB: Rock Ya-Sin, T.J. Carrie
» FS: Julian Blackmon, George Odum
» SS: Khari Willis, Tavon Wilson, Ibraheim Campbell
» N: Kenny Moore II, Isaiah Rodgers
» CB: Xavier Rhodes, Tremon Smith
Notes:
» The major change compared to last week is at free safety, where Malik Hooker is no longer listed after he suffered a season-ending Achilles injury Week 3 against the Minnesota Vikings. It was the rookie Julian Blackmon who got his first-career start last Sunday against the Jets; he logged 41 defensive snaps in all and totaled one tackle on the day. Tavon Wilson and George Odum also got in some work at safety opposite Khari Willis, the starter at strong safety; Wilson finished with four tackles, two of which were for a loss, and a pass defensed.
» Another change is at linebacker, as Matthew Adams is no longer listed after being placed on IR with an ankle injury suffered Week 3 against the Vikings. Safety Ibraheim Campbell and cornerback Tremon Smith, both of whom were elevated to the active roster from the practice squad this week, are now listed at the respective positions.
» For a second straight week, we saw Bobby Okereke (52) play more defensive snaps than Anthony Walker (28) at linebacker last Sunday against the Jets. Okereke finished with four tackles, while Walker finished with six tackles and a quarterback hit.
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SPECIALISTS
» P: Rigoberto Sanchez
» PK: Rodrigo Blankenship
» H: Rigoberto Sanchez
» LS: Luke Rhodes
» KR: Nyheim Hines, Isaiah Rodgers
» PR: Nyheim Hines, Isaiah Rodgers
Notes:
— No changes this week compared to last week.
